


Found Family Vigilantes

by im_gera_okay



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, BRENDAN IS RUBY, Eventual Gloria/Marnie, Hoenn Trio, I havent read all the manga i'm sorry, I will have my found family damn it, Kanto Trio, MAY IS SAPPHIRE, MIX OF GAME AND MANGA CHARACTERIZATION IM SORRY, Namelessshipping, Pokemon, Preciousmetalshipping, Team Magma (Pokemon), Team Plasma (Pokemon), Team Rocket (Pokemon), cliff hanger, especially for hoenn so those characters are kinda game-based, feel free/please suggest tags in the comments, found family trope, huntershipping - Freeform, no beta we die like men, originalshipping - Freeform, probably a bit ooc tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_gera_okay/pseuds/im_gera_okay
Summary: Though Team Rocket was allegedly wiped out across Kanto and Johto– twice– there have been murmurs of suspicious activity across both regions. There have also been rumors heard from other regions, like Hoenn, Unova, and Galar. This story is about the group that forms to fight these threats, including how they come together and grow.AKA I love Pokemon and I'm a sucker for found family.
Relationships: Gold/Silver (Pokemon Adventures), Mikuri | Wallace/Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Mitsuru | Wally/Yuuki | Brendan, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius/Touya | Hilbert, Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	1. Team Magma in the Marketplace

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a WIP but I'm excited for it, and I'm hopeful that it'll be a cool story. Kanto kids are like 22 yrs old, Johto kids about 17-18, Hoenn kids about 14-15, Unova kids about 16-17, Galar kids about 14-15.

Red hadn’t meant to recruit another kid.

He’d been on a mission in Slateport City, pretending to inspect a table of incense in the market as he scoped out the area for Rocket grunts. Green had come across reports of suspicious activity in the area, and Blue had spoken to her contacts to confirm it. There was no telling whether it was Team Rocket or not, but the fact of the matter was it could be, and that was enough for Red. 

So he’d flown out to Hoenn from the airport in Saffron City, landing in Sootopolis and riding Lapras down to Slateport. He was undercover, which meant he was wearing glasses with round, tinted shades, high-waisted jeans, a bright shirt, and his dark hair had been coiffed by Blue. Green had picked out the outfit, because Green was a bastard who liked Red’s undercover missions the best. 

Even with the uncomfortable clothing Red was often forced into, he liked being undercover too, because it meant that he wasn’t stopped or gawked at wherever he went. Also, it was hard to keep an ear out for Rockets when he amassed a crowd wherever he went. 

So far, Red actually hadn’t seen much, but he was intending to hang around the market until dusk. His flight back to Kanto was tomorrow afternoon. 

He straightened up, nodded at the saleswoman (who barely spared him a glance), and moved on to another stall. It was then that he first saw the kid. He was obviously young, though Red could only see him from behind, and his hair was a pastel green. 

Red was observant by nature, constantly absorbing everything around him, which was why big cities were sometimes hard for him. On missions particularly, it was essential for Red to be aware of his surroundings, so that he never missed anything. Even still, if it weren’t for what the kid had been doing, Red probably wouldn’t have even noticed him. 

The kid was blocking the central path of the marketplace, standing firmly in front of a man wearing a frankly ridiculous red outfit, with a symbol on his chest that unsettled Red and a hood draped over their head. 

“I saw what you just did!” The kid said loudly, and by voice alone Red would place him at about fourteen. 

The man’s gray eyes shifted around uneasily. “I dunno what you’re talking about. Let me through.” 

“You just stole her wallet!” The kid pointed to a dark skinned woman with curly hair, wide eyes, and a taillow on her head. The woman’s hands went to the pocket of her jeans, and she gasped.

The man shook his head. “No idea what you’re on about, kid. What, you wanna fight?” The crowd around them began to backup.

Red hadn’t seen a pokeball in the kid’s hand, but the next second a Roserade was standing beside him. “If I have to.” 

The man snorted, threw out a Mightyena, and Red had seen enough. He darted forward, and stepped in front of the kid, yanking his “hipster glasses” off of his face and releasing Pikachu.

The electric mouse appeared already in a battle stance, growling. Red knew that Pikachu hated pokeballs, but there had been no way Red wasn’t bringing her on the mission, and Green had said she would be too much of a give-away in Hoenn. Well, whatever, Red was still dressed in such a way so that his own mother probably wouldn’t recognize him. 

The man sneered at Red, directing his Pokemon to attack. “Mightyena, Crunch!”

Red inclined his head, and Pikachu dodged, though it was possible she hadn’t even seen the motion, and just knew what he was going to command. 

He dug his feet in and made a brief circling motion with his hands. Pikachu tilted her head slightly to see his command, and immediately jumped forward with an Iron Tail. 

The man, caught off guard, failed to direct his Pokemon away, and the Mightyena took the hit. Red might’ve smirked. It was always fun to see people’s reactions to the way he and his Pokemon communicated. 

“Ice Fang,” the man yelled. “Don’t miss this time!”

The Mightyena took advantage of Pikachu’s proximity, and caught her tail with freezing cold teeth. Red grinned. If there was one thing his team was familiar with, it was ice. He flicked his fingers, and Pikachu’s cheeks sparked. For a moment, nothing happened, and the man’s sneer deepened. Red registered the kid beginning to move behind him, and thrust out an arm to stop him. 

There was suddenly a blinding flash of yellow light as Pikachu engulfed herself in electricity, powerful enough that Red was sure it could power a building if required, and certainly enough to take down a Mightyena, even through an Ice Fang. Sure enough, the light slowly faded, and the Mightyena lay motionless on the pavement, Pikachu standing by its head, still sparking with electricity. 

The man’s jaw dropped, before shutting with a click as he recalled his Pokemon. He turned and began to run, but Red was faster, and was twisting the man’s arm behind his back before he had made it three steps. 

The man yelled. With his free arm, Red rummaged through the man’s pockets, finally pulling out a wallet and the man’s ID. He glanced down at the second item, and then pulled out his Pokegear to take a photo of it. Red shoved the ID back into the thief’s pocket and released him. The man glared back at him and fled.

Red turned and walked over to the women with the Taillow, holding out the wallet. Blinking in shock, she took it. Red looked around at the assembled crowd, which was staring. He flicked his wrist and called Pikachu back to his shoulder. 

The crowd slowly began to clap. Red wished he had his baseball cap to cover his face. He hated this. The kid ran over to them, his Roserade behind him.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” 

“I- yes, I’m fine. Thank you both for getting my wallet back for me.”

The kid blushed as Red waved his hand. 

“That’s alright, ma’am. I just– I saw him take it, and I couldn’t stand by.”

She smiled at him. “That’s very honorable, young man.” The kid looked away, and the woman turned her gaze on to Red. “Thank you, too. That was impressive battling.” Red just nodded, feeling the creeping awkwardness with which he navigated any social situation coming up to swallow him.

The woman smiled at both of them again, and then walked away, into the crowd that was turning away and dissipating. 

The kid faced him with wide eyes. Red’s eyes scanned him and his Roserade, making sure they weren’t hurt, and he prepared to turn away. The kid spoke before he could.

“I’m Wally. That was incredible.”

Red was sure his cheeks were tinted now. It was one thing to hear praise from a crowd, and even random individuals, but Red had never gotten used to the idea that kids looked up to him. 

Wally seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the next second, Red was hit with an onslaught of his words.

“You have to tell me how you did that! I know water conducts electricity, and obviously ice is a form of water, but generally it's a poor conductor and rather slow for electricity to get through. But your Pikachu’s electricity– was that a Discharge attack? It completely cut through the ice, and K.O.ed that Mightyena! Who, by the way, didn’t seem like a weak Pokemon– your Pikachu must be insanely powerful to have done that! I’ll be honest, for a minute I wasn’t sure what it was up to, but it must’ve been charging its power, huh? Wow, that’s incredible. How did you even train it to do that?”

Pikachu chirped on Red’s shoulder. He wished one of his friends were here.

Wally appeared concerned when Red failed to reply. “What’s wrong? Are you– oh, shit, are you hearing impaired? Can you read lips?”

Red resigned himself to his fate, and shook his head. He pointed at his lips and made a talking motion he usually associated with Green. 

“Oh, you can’t talk?” Wally asked. “Well–” He suddenly narrowed his eyes, and looked Red up and down. Without asking, he reached up to take Pikachu off of Red’s shoulder. Red flinched. Wally examined his partner as Red internally panicked. His instinct was to snatch the Pokemon back and run, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He’d cause a scene if he ran, and Blue, who had trained him for undercover missions, and told him to never cause a scene. Nevermind the fact that he’d just fought a guy in the marketplace– if he ran, Wally would chase. Even so, Pikachu helped him navigate social situations and stay calm. He really didn’t like how she had been taken. 

Wally appeared to inspect Pikachu’s fur and cheeks, before looking back up at Red with a wondrous gaze. His cheeks flushed, however, and he seemed to realize what he had done. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–” He held Pikachu back out to Red, and she wriggled out of the kid’s grasp, jumping up to Red’s shoulder. He instantly felt more at ease. 

“I’m so sorry,” Wally was still saying. “I just wanted to check something, or confirm, more like, and I completely just didn’t even think, but–” He looked Red directly in his eyes. “You’re Red, aren’t you? The Kanto champion?”

Panic seized his body, and without even thinking, he turned and ran. Oh, Blue was going to be so pissed.


	2. Chase through Slateport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally chases after Red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarification's sake: in the tags, it says Brendan/Wally. I have referred to Brendan as Ruby, from the Pokemon Adventures Manga, which I have not read. I have read his wiki page though, so I'm trying my best. I know Wally is a character in the Manga, but not a main one, and his characterization here will be closer to the games. Whatever, it's fiction and Pokemon is diverse in its content. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Wally was still for just a moment before he kicked into action, watching the guy who he was 95% sure was Red Masami, wearing cropped and faded blue jeans, run away. 

He blinked twice, and then turned to Roserade. “We should follow him.” She narrowed her eyes before closing them completely, and Wally knew she was exasperated. “It’ll be fine!” He said. “Trust me.” He returned his Pokemon to her pokeball and ran after Red. 

Outside the marketplace, he looked wildly around, but failed to spot the man. He released Altaria, and she almost sparkled in the sun, nudging her head into Wally’s palm as she cooed. Ah, he was a sucker for his Pokemon. 

“Hey, girl,” he said. “I need you to help me find someone, okay? He’s got dark hair, and a Pikachu. He can’t be too far away.” She cooed again and flapped her large wings, taking off into the sky. Wally considered sending out his Talonflame to help, but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to draw attention. While rare, Altaria were at least native to Hoenn, and from the ground someone might mistake them for clouds. Talonflame would burn brightly in the blue sky, and Wally was pretty sure that Red wouldn’t want more attention. 

He wasn’t even entirely confident in his decision to chase the champion down. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have– he wasn’t a jerk– but Red had gotten a photo of the Team Magma thug’s ID. Ruby would be pissed if he didn’t get the Kanto champion to tell him what he’d seen. 

Damn, it was cool that Red had intervened, but he had made Wally’s job a lot more complicated. 

He sighed and began to run down the street, swiveling his head to look around for almost-definitely-Red. Wally had reached the Pokemart by the time he heard Altaria’s call cut through the air, signifying that she’d found the Kanto champ. Wally abruptly turned around and ran for the sound, and a few minutes later, he stopped in front of the contest hall, where quite a scene was taking place.

First of all, Red was there, his Pikachu by his feet with crackling cheeks. The man appeared to be at a loss to the commotion around him. Wally’s Altaria had done her job, and was still doing it; she had Red’s sleeve in her beak, and was stubbornly holding on. At the very least, Red wasn’t attempting to pull away. 

There was also someone there who Wally shouldn’t have been shocked to see. He was.

Lisia was standing outside of the contest hall, because duh, she was a top coordinator. She had her arms around Wally’s Altaria, baby-talking it and petting at its fluff. At her side stood a second Altaria, this one very disgruntled, who Wally recognized as Lisia’s own. 

Wally watched for several seconds, dumbfounded, but was spurred to action when Pikachu’s cheeks began to spark more threateningly. 

“Excuse me!” He stepped forward and returned his Altaria, rubbing at her ball once she was in it to comfort her. 

This left Lisia awkwardly hugging the air, and Red still standing bewildered. The longer Wally looked at him, the more positive he was that it actually was the champion of Kanto. This reassurance did not confuse him less. 

Lisia quickly righted herself. “Oh, was that your Altaria?” She asked brightly. “It was so well groomed! It’s fluff was so soft, and its eyes were so bright! Do you do contests? You should!” 

Wally shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t.” The top coordinator deflated at his tone, and he hesitated before adding, “I have a friend who does, though. Do you know a guy named Ruby?”

Lisia’s eyes widened. “You’re Ruby’s friend? His Swampert is so incredibly strong! And his Delcatty is adorable!”

Wally was determined not to laugh at that, but he knew for a fact that Ruby’s Delcatty was more of a diva than anything else.

“Yeah, I know him,” he said. 

There were a few awkward moments of silence, during which Lisia finally seemed to notice Red. She promptly dove at his Pikachu, and began her stream of baby-talk again, cuddling the Pokemon in her arms. 

Wally walked over to a bewildered Red. “Lisia is a top coordinator,” he said. “She loves cute Pokemon, and believes in drawing out their power. I’d say your Pikachu fits the bill.”

Red’s cheeks tinged for a moment, and then he looked desperately at Wally, gesturing towards the coordinator. 

Wally’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah.” According to the magazines, anyway, Red was rarely without his Pikachu, but beyond that, Wally recalled how panicked the champion had seemed when he had grabbed the electric mouse earlier.

So he stepped up to Lisia, and tapped her shoulder. “Uh, could you give him back his Pikachu?”

She made a pouty face. “She’s such a cutie, though!” Despite her words, she set Pikachu back on the ground, and the Pokemon ran back to Red, climbing up to his shoulder. Wally watched as Red’s posture sank about a foot as he relaxed. 

“So, how do you know Ruby?” Lisia asked. 

Wally sighed. “We met when we started our Pokemon journeys,” he explained. 

“Aw!” Lisia cried. “So you’ve been supporting him the whole way! That’s adorable!”

He felt his cheeks redden. “We support each other.” The urge to defend his own achievements came with a wave of shame, and he wished he had just agreed passively. Of course he supported Ruby. Lisia hadn’t been doubting his own merit. 

“S-so what are you doing here?” He asked her. “I didn’t think there was a Slateport contest today.”

She shook her head. “There isn’t, but I had left something in the green room the last time I was here. I was dropping by to get it.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Are you competing in the next contest in Fallarbor Town? Ruby is.”

Lisia shrugged. “I haven’t prepared a routine, and it is only the beginning of the contest season.” 

Wally nodded. You needed five ribbons to compete in the final contest at the end of the season, but it was still early on in the year. 

“Anyway, I should go,” she said. “Today’s my day off, and I was planning to visit Uncle Wallace.”

Wally remembered that the Sootopolis gym leader was her uncle only because he had publicly endorsed her at the start of her career. The news had called it blatant nepotism. “Oh, sure. I need to get going, too. It was good to meet you.”

She winked at him, climbing on top of her Altaria. “You too. Say hello to Ruby for me!” He scoffed once she was high enough in the air to not hear. He would be doing no such thing, and he resolutely ignored the voice in his head telling him that he was just jealous. 

He turned to Red again, and looked harshly at him. The man shifted awkwardly. “Look,” said Wally, “I get that you’re trying not to be noticed or whatever, but you just beat a Team Magma member.” Red appeared to gain interest in the name. “I swear I’ll explain whatever you want to know, like why I’m in a position to ask this of you, but the short of it is that I need to know that man’s name, and anything else you can tell me about him. Also I’m sorry that I freaked you out earlier; I promise I’ll be discreet. So will you get dinner with me? Eugh, that sounded gross. I’m fourteen, don’t take that the wrong way.”

Red snorted. He appeared to hesitate though, and Wally held his breath. Really, if the man said no, there was nothing Wally could do to make him. He had a sudden image of himself attempting to beat the man in a Pokemon battle, or even more humiliating, himself trying to drag Red into a restaurant. Seriously, the man looked buff. Wally remembered vividly how the man had trained on a mountain for five years, and the frenzy the media had had when he returned. He guessed that a mountaintop was probably a pretty good place to build muscle, if there ever was such a location. 

Finally, Red nodded, but his eyes sharpened as he did. He pointed to himself, and made a talking gesture again. 

“You want to ask me some questions, too?” Wally guessed. Red nodded. “That’s probably fair.” He grinned. “There’s this great seafood place here by the coast that we can go to. Sometimes people get it confused with the Battle Restaurant on the beach. Then they get more than they bargained for.”

Red appeared more interested in the Battle Restaurant than the seafood, honestly, and Wally almost laughed. “Okay, one last thing. I’m going to call up a friend to meet us, and he’ll help me explain everything. Is that okay?” When Red nodded, Wally grinned, and turned away to grab his PokeNav.

He dialed a familiar number, and waited for the call to pick up.

_“Hello?”_

“Ruby, you’re never going to guess who I just met.”


	3. Negotiations Occur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby is here! Red is a bit of a bastard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter today! The expectation I am setting for myself in terms of pace in unreasonable. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Red was having an interesting afternoon. The kid, Wally, led him down to a seafood restaurant on the coast of Slateport, seemingly with the intent to interrogate Red.

Well, it was just stupid to be spilling secrets about the covert operation he and his friends were running, so he wouldn’t if he could help it. He didn’t care if the kid wanted to pick his brain regarding the guy he’d fought. If that was all Wally wanted, so be it. Red wanted to know about the Team Magma the kid had mentioned, and after he got those answers, he was prepared to lie or flee. 

His only hindrance going into this interrogation was the need to ensure the kid didn’t blab about him being in Hoenn. If his presence was made known and he was linked back to the scuffle in the market, then whoever this Team Magma was would presumably duck under the radar for a bit, and make it harder for Red to interact with them. 

Wally also seemed to think that Red would be curious as to what the kid’s whole deal was, but he frankly didn’t care. It seemed as though he and whoever his friend was were working to try and fight the Team Magma people, and Red could respect that. Besides, it wasn’t like he was in a place to lecture Wally for being only fourteen, though if he could help it, he wasn’t planning on encouraging it. Arceus knows his life had gotten pretty fucked up.

They arrived at the restaurant, and Wally dragged him to a table where another kid was already sitting with a plate of calamari. This kid looked to be around Wally’s age. He wore a beanie, had glasses perched on his face, and had crimson eyes like Red’s own. 

“Hi, Ruby!” Wally said, sitting down. “This is Red. He beat a Team Magma grunt in the market.”

The new kid leaned in towards him, holding out a hand. “I’m Ruby. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you really the Kanto champion?”

Red nodded once, pulling Pikachu from his shoulder into his lap. Ruby waited for a minute before retracting his hand. He and Wally quickly glanced between each other, and the former nodded once. 

“So, I know the media thinks that you’re mute,” said Ruby. “If you can’t talk, would you be willing to write what you want to say to communicate with us? I’m sorry, but neither of us know sign language well enough to converse.” 

Red shrugged, and Ruby seemed to take that as permission to slide a pad of paper over to the champion. 

Wally spooned calamari onto his plate and began to talk. “So, the guy you beat earlier today was a part of a group of criminals called Team Magma. They all wear uniforms like the one you saw. There’s another group of criminals called Team Aqua who are their rivals. I know this seems really stupid. But both of their members seem to range from common thugs to high-level crooks, and nobody seems to know they’re planning.”

Red nodded for him to continue, and Ruby opened his mouth.

“But we’re confident that they’re planning something. Wally and I, along with another friend of ours, are working to try and stop whatever their goals are. We try to learn whatever we can about any of their public appearances, and we battle them whenever we see them.”

For the first time, Red moved, taking the pencil in his hand and scratching something out on the paper. 

‘Do you beat them in battle? They do not seem weak.’

After leaning over to read the message, Wally brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “Well, we lose sometimes, but–”

“Wally is an excellent trainer,” Ruby cut in, “as is our other friend, Sapphire. Both of them have gathered eight gym badges and beaten our region’s champion, Steven Stone.” 

Red reappraised Wally, watching as the kid blushed. He knew that he and Green had started a new wave of kids setting out on Pokemon journeys, but the vast majority of them never acquired all eight badges in their region, let alone beat the champion. He also knew that he had become the world’s youngest champion at age 11, edging Green out by a few months. Shortly after he’d fled to Mt. Silver, there had been a push for the institution of new procedures to prevent the responsibilities of champion from falling upon the shoulders of children.

Now, kids that beat the champion got an honorary title, and usually lots of recognition, but the position of champion was fixed. For example, in Hoenn, it was Steven Stone. When Red had returned from Mt. Silver, he’d discovered that Lance had been acting champion, and he had seen no reason to disrupt this. Now, seven years later, Lance was still the joint champion of Kanto and Johto, although Red was still one of the most recognizable champion faces around. 

“Ruby is an excellent coordinator, as well,” Wally said proudly. “He participated in last season’s Grand Festival, and got pretty far along. Being a coordinator takes skill. You have to have an eye for art and aesthetics, and you also have to be a good battler. Ruby takes excellent care of his Pokemon, and they’re all super strong.”

Ruby rolled his eyes. “You take great care of your Pokemon, too. I know, because we groom them together.”

“Most of my grooming skills I learned from you!” Wally protested. “And Ruby also makes clothes for Pokemon and people. He’s super talented!”

Ruby glared, and opened his mouth again. “Well, Wally’s the strongest person I know. For months he was sick with pneumonia, and it was super bad because of his asthma. His family never thought he’d be a trainer, and refused to let him catch a Pokemon. He ran away, and asked my d- the Petalburg gym leader to help him catch his first Pokemon. He went on a journey, and got super strong and healthy, and proved his family wrong!”

Wally’s cheeks were flushed bright red, and he looked down at the table. Ruby puffed out his chest, looking triumphant and proud. 

“Fine,” Wally huffed, still blushing. “We’re both strong.” Ruby seemed to concede this, because he fell back in his chair, grinning.

Red looked between them. He wondered if he and Green used to be so obvious. 

“Oh!” said Ruby, “I heard you ran into Lisia, Red.”

Red grimaced, remembering the peppy and loud girl who Wally had said was a top coordinator. She’d been the second person to grab Pikachu without his permission today, which did not endear her to him. She’d also just been kind of a lot. 

Ruby laughed at his expression. “Yeah, I get that. She’s very enthusiastic. But she’s also a great coordinator. She won the Ribbon Cup at last year’s Grand Festival.”

“She began her career with a public endorsement from her uncle,” Wally said, drumming his fingers on the table. “He happens to be the Sootopolis gym leader, Wallace.” 

Ruby rolled his eyes. “The media pounced on that fact when she won the Ribbon Cup, claiming nepotism. But she deserved to win, she’s great at what she does.”

Wally sank very slightly in his seat. 

Red looked between them again, internally smirking. He reached for the pencil again, and wrote, ‘She told us to tell you hi from her.’

As soon as Wally read this, his mouth fell open slightly. He leaned back, his eyes narrowed as he pouted, appearing to reassess Red. 

“Oh, really?” Ruby asked, oblivious. “That was nice of her.” 

‘Are you two close?’ Red wrote, his face now threatening to give him away. 

“Eh,” Ruby said, rubbing the back of his neck as Wally glared at Red. “We’ve had a few conversations before, and I know she’s watched some of my performances.”

Red nodded, and used his elbow to hit his fork off of the table.

“Oh, I’ll get that for you!” Ruby reached down below the tabletop, giving Red the opportunity to smirk openly at Wally. 

_Not funny,_ Wally mouthed, eyes still narrowed. Red whole-heartedly disagreed.

“So,” Ruby said, straightening back up, “What are you doing in Hoenn?”

‘Looking for new Pokemon,’ Red wrote. This was a lie, and he did not regret it. 

“Why are you dressed like…” Wally waved his hand around to indicate Red’s general appearance. 

Ruby looked Red up and down before nodding. “Yeah, not your usual style, huh?”

Red rolled his eyes. ‘Undercover,’ he wrote. ‘Don’t want to be noticed.’ He accentuated this point with a raised brow, and he pointed at the two boys sitting across from him.

“Oh, we won’t tell anyone,” said Ruby. “Well, maybe our friend Sapphire, but she’s the one we mentioned earlier. She works with us. She can keep a secret.”

Red hesitated before nodding. 

Wally smiled. “So, like we said, we’ve been collecting data on Team Magma’s public appearances.” 

Ruby pulled out a laptop and looked expectantly at Red. “Wally says you got a photo of the man’s ID. If you could tell us his name, it would be some of our most concrete evidence yet.”

‘One condition,’ Red wrote. Wally’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and Ruby leaned forward with narrowed eyes.

“What is it?”

Red grinned, leaning in with the pencil between his fingers, preparing to write. ‘Give me everything you already have on these guys.’

As Ruby and Wally bent their heads down to read what he had written, Red leaned back in his chair to flag down the waiter. He pressed his credit card into the man’s hands to pay. When he looked back to the kids, they were having some sort of negotiation with eye contact. 

After a moment, they turned to face him together. “Fine.”

Red grinned widely, and finally leaned in to help himself to the calamari.


	4. The Start of Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Green and Blue make an appearance, and Wally and Ruby are led to a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long to get out!! In fairness, it's longer than my other chapters...  
> Enjoy!

Green had been having a good day when he first saw the news from Hoenn about some guy battling a thief in the marketplace of Slateport. At that point, his mood worsened. 

Even without a description of the guy, Green knew that it could only be Red. He was right, of course; the news had several angles of the fight caught on footage, and while no one seemed to have realized that the man with coiffed black hair and an obscenely bright shirt was Red, Green recognized him right away. He had assembled the outfit, after all, with no small amount of amusement. Offhandedly, he still was aware of the fact that Red’s ass looked fantastic in those jeans. 

Mostly, however, he was pissed. He looked through the news reports, wondering what could have provoked Red to cause such a scene. All of the footage began midfight, and Green glared at his lover’s bratty electric mouse through the screen. After the battle, Red seemed to retrieve a wallet, and hand it back to a woman with a Taillow perched on her head. 

Green knew that Red had an unwavering moral compass, in the sense that he found it difficult to stand to the side even when he wished he could. This did not, however, seem to excuse the absolute spectacle it had become. 

The media identified the thief as a member of “Team Magma,” which, from what Green could tell, was a crime organization similar to Team Rocket. It was worth noting, however, that Team Magma did not appear to have done anything to the scale of the Silph Co. or Radio Tower takeovers. 

Green placed his head in his hands. At the very least, Red hadn’t been identified. Otherwise, the battle may have made interregional news. As it was, Green had only seen the news with his ears placed close to the ground on the Hoenn front, as had been the case in several regions since he and his friends had started to collectively fight Team Rocket. Red’s being there didn’t make Green less obsessive over Hoenn’s news cycle. 

“Well, it seems like our boy’s made a bit of a mess.” 

Green whirled his head to face the doorway of his office. “Who let you into my gym?”

Blue rolled her eyes, perching herself on Green’s desk. “I was going to tell you that everything will blow over, but I know when I’m not wanted.”

“So you do think this is a minor hindrance?” Green asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Do I think that this Team Magma will be particularly suspicious of some rando that they won’t encounter again? No, not really. The rumors of suspicious activities in Hoenn have been increasing recently, and instead of being related to Team Rocket like we’d thought, the media seems to attribute these rumors to two other criminal groups: Team Magma and Team Aqua.”

Green raised an eyebrow. “Team Aqua?” 

“Yeah, the names are stupid as fuck. Can I assume you’ve already looked into Team Magma?”

He nodded.

“Well, Team Aqua’s much the same. They’re rival groups, from what I can tell. The point is, you don’t need to worry about it, Green. It’ll be easy for us to look into them further, as they don’t seem too interested in ducking under the radar.”

“Hold on, look into them further?” Green glared. “Why are they suddenly our responsibility? We decided to collaborate our efforts into fighting Team _Rocket,_ not Magma, because we hate those bastards particularly.”

Blue narrowed her eyes. “Is that the only reason we’re doing this? Really? And you don’t see any uncomfortably close similarities between the Rockets and Team Magma?”

“Hunting down Team Magma and Aqua isn’t our job.” 

“Neither is resisting the Rockets, and yet…” Blue cooly examined her nails. “Look at it this way: Red’s already encountered one of these thugs, and we both know he’s not just going to let this go. You may as well start considering Magma and Aqua our responsibilities.”

Green groaned, burying his head in his hands again.

“That boy is stubborn, isn’t he?” Blue asked, still looking at her nails.

“Think about Yellow,” Green tried. “Ze is a kid who doesn’t need to worry about two other crime organizations on top of the one we’ve already got!”

“According to you, Yellow isn’t even a part of our group. And besides, ze can look after zirself.”

“Ze is a kid too stubborn to take no for an answer!” Green snarled. “If we get ourselves into this, we’ll be putting zir in unnecessary danger.”

“Yellow will be pleased to know you think of zir so lowly.”

“Stop putting words in my mouth! And besides, if we try to take care of Hoenn’s problems, where do we draw the line? Where do we stop? It’s ridiculous to try to fix everything wrong with the world.”

Blue rolled her eyes. “Fine: it’s extreme to say that we plan to eradicate all evil, everywhere. Beyond the fact that it would be almost impossible, who are we to say what’s evil and what’s not? But that’s not what I’m saying. We’ve stumbled across Team Magma and Aqua. We didn’t go looking for trouble, and if we turned away now, we’d be ignoring a problem right in front of us that we can help to fix.”

Green was silent for a long moment. “Are you sure you used to be a Rocket?”

Blue rolled her eyes. “I know, it’s crazy that I’ve developed morals. Now, one of us should call Red and remind him that we’re trying to keep a low profile in Hoenn, especially if we’re going to be sticking around for a bit.”

Green lifted his head before swinging it back down to bang it on the desk. “I got it.”

***

Once Ruby had downloaded his files on Team Magma and Aqua to Red’s Pokegear, the man opened his camera roll and shoved the device towards them. Ruby’s fingers flew across his laptop’s keys as he recorded the Magma man’s name: Zachary Lom. He was 28 years old, born in Verdanturf, and was 178 cm tall.

When he was done, Red slid the notepad back to him and Wally.

‘In the future, don’t trust deals from strangers.’

Ruby rolled his eyes. “You’re the Kanto champion. You’re trustworthy.”

Red gripped the pencil tightly in his fingers. ‘That’s a naive assumption.’ Ruby flushed with indignation, but Wally placed a hand on his elbow.

“Okay,” the other boy said. “Thank you for the advice.”

Red nodded in response, and Ruby just narrowed his eyes. 

As the Kanto champ reclaimed his device, the screen lit up, and the voice of Whitney Houston began to croon “I Will Always Love You.” Red’s face flushed a color to match his name, and he accepted the call. The man hesitantly held the phone up, appearing to look at whoever had called him.

“Do the words ‘undercover operation’ mean anything to you?”

Ruby and Wally exchanged an incredulous glance. _Undercover operation?_ Wally mouthed.

Red began to move his hands, motioning in what Ruby took a moment to realize was sign language. The man’s fingers were moving faster than Ruby could follow, but whoever was on the other end of the phone seemed to have no trouble.

“They may not know your name, but you’ve caused a bit of a spectacle. If you’re not careful, they’ll recognize you! What was even so important that you had to have a Pokemon battle? Couldn’t you have just gone to the cops for once?”

Ruby had to hold in a snicker at the ‘for once,’ and Red’s hands began to move again.

“Sorry, did you say there was a kid? Oh, so what, you didn’t think he could handle it? You handled things just fine at that age.”

Red signed something else, and the person on the call scoffed. “You think I’m not aware? And anyway, kids are tougher nowadays.”

Red narrowed his eyes and signed something else, rapid-fire.

“You bastard! Take that back!”

When Red stuck out his tongue, Ruby pushed his face into Wally’s shoulder, snickering, while the other boy covered his face in his hands, choking down laughter.

They were unsuccessful in remaining subtle, however.

“Red, there had better not be someone listening in on this conversation.”

The Kanto champ’s eyes widened, and he took on a decidedly guilty expression.

There was a long suffering sigh. “Maybe you _don’t_ know what undercover means. Turn me around.”

Red flipped the screen, revealing a man with spiked up brown hair and a sharp expression. Ruby had the distinct feeling that he knew him.

Wally gasped. “You’re Green Oak! Kanto champion!”

The man seemed to puff up at the recognition, and Red rolled his eyes without seeing the screen. Ruby smirked.

“So…” Ruby said. “Can I assume that Red isn’t here looking for Pokemon? I wouldn’t exactly call that an undercover operation.”

Wally hit him on the shoulder, and Green sighed. “No, he’s– Red, is one of these kids the boy from the marketplace?”

Wally tentatively raised a hand. “Uh… I am.”

Green looked critically at them. “Alright, fine. Neither of you are allowed to repeat what I’m about to say to you, especially to the press. Got it?”

Wally made an aborted gesture, but then shared a glance with Ruby. “Well… me and Ruby and our other friend, Sapphire, have kind of been working to gather information on Team Magma and Team Aqua so we can take them down. But, other than her, we won’t tell anyone!”

Green had a hand on his head. He pointed to Wally. “Please don’t tell me your name is Emerald or some shit. Do you have a friend named Yellow Quartz?”

“Uh…” Wally glanced at him. “No? My name is Wally.”

“Oh, thank Arceus, that would’ve hit too close to home. Okay, whatever. Red and I are working with a friend of ours to spy on and fight _our_ local bunch of bad guys, a group called Team Rocket. We’re keeping it a secret, because if anyone knew, we wouldn’t be half as successful as we are on our undercover missions. It’d be a lot harder to spy on Team Rocket if they were actively on the lookout for us.”

“Wasn’t Team Rocket defeated a few years back?” Asked Wally.

Green rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and did you hear about the time they were defeated before that? They haven’t ever been properly squashed; we’re confident they’re still skulking around.”

Ruby began to laugh, and Green turned a glare on him. “Something funny?”

“No, no, I’m sorry, it’s just such a– coincidence!”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. Hilarious. Well, Red was in Hoenn to investigate rumors of suspicious activity. Turns out it was actually probably Team Magma–“

At this, Red flipped his phone around, and began furiously signing to Green.

“Keep your stupid hat on; Blue already chewed me out about this. Yes, we’ll look into it, and see what we can do.”

Red signed something that Ruby, with his limited knowledge of sign language, recognized as ‘thank you.’ 

“Sure thing,” Green sighed, and Red flipped the phone around again. “Anyway, why are you both talking to Red?”

“Well, he got a photo of the Magma guy’s ID,” Ruby explained, “so we were negotiating for information. In exchange for the guy’s name, we gave Red all the data we’ve collected on Team Magma and Aqua.”

There was a beat of silence. “You guys do _not_ know how to negotiate.”

Ruby flushed. “It’s not like we have something to gain by withholding information! And an actual identity is some of the most solid evidence we’ve collected yet!”

Wally placed his hand over Ruby’s, which distracted him. When he looked at the other boy's face, his eyes were bright, and it looked like the sort of face he wore whenever he had a particularly brilliant idea. Or particularly dangerous. Ruby’s eyes narrowed. 

“So… you guys seem a lot more experienced then we are at this,” Wally said. “Since we both seem to be fighting the same good fight, would you ever consider teaching us some of the stuff you know?”

There was silence for a moment. Red reached out for a pencil, writing something in large block letters.

‘N-O.’ He glared at them forcefully as they read it.

“But–”

“No way,” said Green, scoffed. “You two couldn’t handle it.”

Red glared at the back of the phone, flipping it to face him and signing something furiously.

“I mean, yes, but– okay, fine, call me back later.” 

The call seemed to stop, and Ruby had to assume that Red had hung up.

Red grabbed the pencil again, and after a moment of furious scratching of the lead against the paper, he slid the pad back over to them. 

‘Green is stupid. Ignore. But we will not teach.’

“Is there a reason why?” Ruby asked.

‘Too young.’

Ruby cleared his throat, and ignored the desperate look that Wally gave him. “Um, Mr. Masami, are you perhaps aware of the fact that you quite famously took down a crime syndicate when you were 11? Apparently not for the last time, but my point still stands.”

Red’s glare seemed to darken, and he wrote something else. ‘That is why I know you are too young.’

The last two words were underlined viciously. Red wrote something else, and then slid the paper and pencil back over to them. As they read it, he stood.

‘Thanks for the information. Bye.’

Put out, Ruby slouched back in his chair, watching Red walk away.

“Thank you!” Wally called. As soon as the older man left the restaurant, the other boy turned to face Ruby. “Well. I think that I had initially underestimated him. But he also underestimates us, so I’m going to call it even.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?” 

Wally rolled his eyes. “Well, we obviously aren’t just going to let it go, are we?” The boy stood, and offered his hand to Ruby to help him up. “Come on, let’s go find Sapphire and make a plan.”

Ruby grinned, accepting the offered hand, and ignored the vivid fluttering in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you catch the incredibly un-subtle slight to the manga?


	5. Suspicion in Celadon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see what Yellow's been up to this whole time, and finally meet Sapphire!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my second chapter today. I'm think I'll be posting a lot on weekends to make up for the fact that I kinda have school during the week. 
> 
> Enjoy!

By the time Yellow noticed what was right in front of zir, ze had nearly tripped over it. Ze had been looking up at the Butterfree swarm above zir head and had definitely not been looking down at zir feet. 

Regardless, when Yellow’s foot hit a fainted Paras, ze flinched. Looking around, ze couldn’t see any trainers or other Pokemon– in fact, the Celadon side street ze was wandering was empty– and so ze scooped the poor Pokemon into zir arms and ran off to the Celadon gym. 

Erika and her attendees were the best at these sorts of things around Celadon, even though there was an excellent Pokemon Center in the city. The thing was, Erika had all sorts of medicinal balms and plant extracts, and on top of that, the Pokemon in her care were always well-pampered. Plus, Erika was a friend of Yellow’s. She absolutely did not stand for misgendering, and thus the Celadon gym was a safe haven for any trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, or agender people. 

Years ago, there had been some rumors about the leader not letting men into her gym, but that had started after Erika had taken in an abuse survivor and refused to battle any of the men the girl had identified as abusers, most of whom were locals of Celadon and attempted to gain entry to the gym several times. Erika had also held all gym challenges outside for the first month that the girl had been recovering within her walls, but the rumor mill seemed to have conveniently missed that detail. 

When Yellow arrived at the door, the attendee there recognized zir, and stepped aside to let zir in with a smile. Yellow rushed straight to the back room, and burst in on Erika drinking tea.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” ze panted. Ze bowed to Erika, and then held up the Paras ze had found. “I found this Paras on the streets, badly injured and knocked out. I thought you could help it.”

Erika nodded primly, and a girl ran up to take the Paras. Yellow watched as the Pokemon was covered in a healing balm and fed a wad of something leafy. A second girl tightly wrapped Paras’ left hind leg in a bandage. 

“That bandage is made with bamboo fibers,” Erika commented, coming to stand behind Yellow, “grown here in this very building.” She turned to zir. “Thank you, Yellow. The Paras will recover. We are grateful that you brought it to us.”

Ze nodded. “Of course. I’m only concerned about why it was there, and how it had been injured.” 

Erika nodded. “Come sit. We will discuss.” She led Yellow over to a spread of cushions on the ground. “Tea?” She offered.

As Yellow sipped zir ginger blend, Erika spoke: “Paras are not native to this area, I’m afraid. It must belong to a trainer who caught it at the Safari Zone, or at Mt. Moon, or else in a different region.”

“In that case…” Yellow hesitated. “Where was their trainer? Why had just been left there? What could have hurt it?”

Erika hummed. “Normally, I would assume there had been some sort of scuffle with a wild Pokemon, or else another trainer, but the fact that the Paras’ trainer was absent is suspicious. I would have heard news if someone had been injured by a wild Pokemon in Celadon, and considering you found this Paras on the street, I must set aside the notion that the trainer was incapacitated.”

“So you think that the trainer just left Paras there? Fainted and injured?”

Erika shrugged. “A despicable thing, to be sure, but most Pokemon will attempt to follow their trainers if released. If the trainer did not want to be followed, or to cause a scene, it is conceivable that they would have left their unconscious Pokemon on the ground and left.”

“That’s disgusting!” Yellow said. “They could have at least left Paras with Nurse Joy, or something!”

“This is true. We must remember that we cannot be certain that the trainer abandoned their Pokemon.”

Yellow sipped zir tea hesitantly. “What if… you said that you would have heard if a wild Pokemon incapacitated a trainer within Celadon. I did find the Paras on a small side street…”

Erika shook her head. “A wild Pokemon would have had to wander through Celadon in order to reach a side street. I would know.”

“What if the trainer wasn’t incapacitated by a Pokemon?”

Erika appeared startled. “Are you suggesting that a person…?”

“Either with their own abilities or by ordering their Pokemon to do so.”

“Who would do such a thing? And what could possibly be gained by attacking a person and leaving their Pokemon in the street?”

Yellow was silent, looking down at zir tea. A faint steam rose from the liquid, hitting zir in the face. 

“Leader Erika!” An attendant appeared from outside of the room. “A challenger approaches!”

Erika nodded. “Yellow, we will continue to think on this later, and perhaps do some investigating. For now, I have duties to attend to, but I assure you that this issue will be a top priority.”

Yellow nodded, standing. “I’m going to ask around town, see if anyone has seen anything that didn’t get back to you.”

Erika looked like she very much doubted this being the case, but at that moment, the attendant reappeared, calling out with a greater sense of urgency. “Leader Erika!”

The woman nodded, her kimono swishing in her wake as she crossed the room. “Stay safe, Yellow. I will see you soon.”

When she was gone, Yellow turned to take a last look at the Paras, now surrounded by three women with various green goos and leaves. 

Ze reached down into zir pocket, grabbing and extending zir fishing rod. The pokeball lure swung in the air as Yellow reached up to adjust zir hat. 

Ze managed to slip out of the gym and onto the streets unnoticed. Upon returning to the side street where ze had found the Paras, Yellow settled into a dark and thin alley between two buildings, and pulled out zir Pokegear.

 _I’m in Celadon, and I’m pretty sure I’ve come across some Rocket activity. I’m staking it out. Thought you guys should know just in case you have relevant info._ Ze sent the message and settled back to watch the empty street as the moon began to rise in the sky.

Across the region, in Viridian, a woman named Blue felt her Pokegear buzz in her pocket, and pulled it out to see a new message flashing across her screen.

***

Sapphire was just the tiniest bit certain that her friends had gone insane.

“He was so cool,” Ruby said, as Wally nodded vigorously. “The news always calls him the strong and silent type, and he kinda is. But then, Green Oak called his Pokegear, and his ringtone was ‘I Will Always Love You.’” 

“As in the song by country artist Whitney Houston?” Sapphire asked, non-believing. 

“That’s the one,” Wally confirmed.

“Uh huh,” she said, folding her arms. 

“And we watched him stick his tongue out at Green!” Wally continued, either oblivious to or ignoring her skepticism. “He was really smart, and he kinda-sorta outmaneuvered Ruby and I, because in exchange for the ID of the Magma grunt, he got us to give him all of the data we’ve collected. But, when I asked him to–”

“Hold on,” Sapphire said, holding up a hand. She walked up to Wally. “You’re telling me,” she said, poking his chest, “that you just _gave_ all of the data we have collected over the past eight months about two organized crime organizations… to some random guy?”

Wally looked to the side, where Ruby was standing, and then directed his eyes back to her face. “Uh–”

“Because I know that’s not what you just said. I know you did not just tell me you _gave away_ the data we have _secretly_ been collecting on two _criminal organizations_ to a guy claiming to be Red Masami.” 

Ruby attempted to interject. “Sapphire–” 

“Did it occur to either of you,” she asked, turning her glare on him, “that he could have been a Magma or Aqua grunt in disguise? That either of them could have found out about us and planned to discover what we knew?” 

“It sure was a dedicated spy, then,” Wally said bravely, drawing her attention again. “Very soundly fooled me with his sign language, and the way he battled better than anyone I’ve ever seen including Steven Stone, and the way all social interaction seemed to kinda make him uncomfortable, and the way his back muscles tensed when anyone else was touching his Pikachu.” 

She glared. “There is no way I am believing that you both just happened to run into Red  
Masami, here in Slateport of all places.” 

Wally shrugged. “We did.” 

She sighed heavily, placing her head in her hands. “I can’t believe this. I cannot _believe_ this.” 

“Look, Sapphire,” Ruby said, adjusting his beanie and straightening his glasses. “If it was real, then we can find out, because we heard Green say something about sticking around for a bit to find out more about Magma and Aqua. Considering that spying on Magma and Aqua is kind of what we do, all the time, we’re bound to run into Red again. When we do, you’ll be with us, and you’ll believe us, and you can help Wally and I convince him and his friends to teach us how to fight criminals.”

“And if it’s not real?” Sapphire demanded. “If you just gave away all of our information to the enemy?”

Ruby shrugged. “Then that was a big mistake. But there’s not much we can do about it now.” 

Sapphire rubbed her forehead. “You both are the biggest idiots I have ever met,” she announced. “And I say this while recognizing that I lived with my dad for fifteen years.”

“Your dad is Professor Birch,” Wally pointed out. “He’s kind of… supposed to be smart.”

She stared at him. “Have you ever met my dad?”

Wally shook his head slowly. “I was never given a Pokedex. And I got my first Pokemon through Norman.”

Ruby’s face darkened, but Sapphire wasn’t paying enough attention to notice.

“Well, that explains it,” she said, waving her hand. “He’s kind of… an idiot.” 

Wally looked between her and Ruby. “Is she joking?”

Ruby shrugged. “He’s a very intelligent man when it comes to Pokemon, but he can’t cook to save his life. And he’s kind of socially inept.”

“But that’s gotta be what all professors are like,” Wally persisted.

“He’s always getting bitten by the Poochyena where we live,” said Sapphire. “He’s worked with Pokemon for almost two decades, and a bunch of level two Poochyena continue to get the better of him.”

Wally didn’t seem to know what to make of that. 

“So, do you forgive us Sapphire?” Ruby asked. “When we come across Red, will you help us convince him?”

She sighed. “I’ll forgive you if it’s actually him,” she conceded, “but chances of that are slim to none.”

“That’s what you think,” Ruby said smugly, and she flicked him on the forehead.

“And if we ever come across him… well, it would be pretty cool to learn how to fight crime from Red. So, yeah, if we ever see him, I’ll help you convince him.”

Wally grinned wickedly, and Ruby pointed at the other boy. “I don’t like that look. It’s scary.”

He rolled his eyes. “Now that Sapph’s on board, I have a plan to win Red over.”

“Oh, really?” Sapphire asked, crossing her legs and knocking her sneakers together. “Do tell.”

“How do you feel about picking a fight, Sapphire?”

She leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “I’m listening.”


	6. Finally a Fight Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touya's here!!  
> Things seem to be setting into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took forever! This was supposed to come out last Sunday, but...  
> Anyway, I'm really happy with this chapter. Touya is sometimes known as Hilbert or Black. The plot will be picking up in the next few chapters, and we'll only be adding more characters from this point on.
> 
> Enjoy!

Red was back in the Slateport market, leaning against the fence in the shadow of a market stall. He scanned the crowd, looking for anyone in a red suit. His hair had flattened from the day before, but was still pretty poofy, much to his dismay. His outfit this time was as egregious as the last had been, and he fidgeted uncomfortably in his too-tight button up and high-waisted wide-legged canvas pants. Pikachu was back in her pokeball, which neither of them was comfortable with, but was probably for the best.

Unfortunately, Red hadn’t seen any Magma grunts. There was an issue with morality to be found somewhere in that thought, but Red wasn’t interested in dwelling on it. He knew he had problems. The morning had been boring, however, and he wished for a bit of action. He had until 1 o’clock before he had to take Lapras back to Sootopolis to catch his flight. 

He scanned the crowd again, and straightened to make his way to a different market stall. As he ducked under an overhang belonging to an older man selling vitamins, a conversation caught his attention:

“...to see a guy around here, he’s got long green hair, and is about my height but a little taller, and wears a baseball cap, goes by the name ‘N,’ and maybe has Pokemon that aren’t native to this region?”

The vendor being spoken to shook his head. “Sorry, can’t think of anybody matching that description that’s passed through here.”

The original speaker, a kid with brown hair and red hat who looked about seventeen, slouched a bit. “Well, thanks anyway. If you see anyone like that, please contact me.” The boy pressed a business card into the vendor’s hand and turned away. Red watched as he approached the next stall, this one selling dried seaweed. 

The kid repeated his spiel, and pressed another business card into this vendor’s hand before moving along. Red watched his progression through the market, tailing him at a leisurely pace. It was perhaps his boredom, or perhaps his genuine interest in the kid, but he didn’t put much effort into remaining undetected. 

It was likely because of this, then, that the kid made an attempt to lose him. He finished speaking to the last vendor in the marketplace, and then stepped out of the market square and into the road. He casually ambled his way to an intersection down the street, and then ducked around the corner with a flash of his red hat. 

Red had lost sight of him. Now very intrigued, he followed cautiously. As he turned the corner in the road, he saw another flash of red down at the next intersection, and let Pikachu out onto his shoulder before following. 

This pattern continued for several turns; Red turning a corner in the road and catching just a glimpse of the kid’s red hat at the next intersection before he was gone. It made Red anxious, but only more inclined to keep following, and thus when he turned the last corner into a dead end alley, he was on high alert. His back was tense and his right hand was firmly gripping the brim of his hat. 

It was obviously a trap that the kid had constructed, and it wasn’t good enough to fool Red, but anyone not so regularly involved with crime syndicates would have been caught by it. 

As it was, Red knew exactly what was coming, and was looking directly at it when it happened, but it was still pretty impressive to see the kid descending through the air in front of him on the back of a large bird Pokemon. The creature was navy blue from below, with impressive red and white tail and face feathers. The kid was perched behind the Pokemon’s head, and the Poke’s large wings each formed graceful arcs as it settled on top of a dumpster.

“Who are you?” The kid demanded. “What do you want from me? Do you work for Team Plasma?”

Red was not in the least intimidated by this, having been captured and threatened by scarier forces in the past. He was, however, intrigued by the name the kid had mentioned, and he knew that he and Green would be having words about it later. Or maybe just exchanging insults once Red suggested that they look into it. 

Red shrugged, pointing at his throat. Pikachu chirped on his shoulder. 

The kid leaned forward, eyes narrowed, and for a moment Red thought that he was about to fall face first off of his bird Pokemon. “Can you not talk?” The kid asked suspiciously.

When Red nodded, the kid smirked. “Okay, then. I guess this’ll be better for you.” He held up his hands and began signing slowly, and Red’s eyes lit up as he watched.

 _Who do you work for?_ The kid signed. He was clumsy and slow, but accurate.

 _Myself,_ Red signed simply, and the kid’s eyes bugged in shock. 

He sighed in defeat. “Return, Brav.” The massive bird Poke went back to the pokeball in the kid’s hand with a flash of red light, and he landed feet first on the lid of the dumpster with a clang. 

“I– can you hear what I’m saying?” When Red nodded, he continued: “I know this definitely sucks, but I’m not great at sign language.”

 _That is fine,_ Red signed. _You will talk, and I will sign._

The kid nodded. “Uh, people call me Touya.”

_I’m Red._

“Good to meet– wait.” The kid jumped off of the dumpster and onto the ground, his eyes narrowed again. “That’s a Pikachu. Your name is Red. You know sign language. But–” He scanned Red up and down. “Hilda’s fashion tabloids are always complaining about the lack of variety in your style, or whatever. If it _is_ you– no way. I mean, if it is, you’ve done a great job of hiding your inner fashionista from the press…”

He circled Red, muttering to himself. Red rolled his eyes, and snapped to draw Touya’s attention. _I am Red Masami._ He gestured to himself, and then signed, _Undercover._

“Ah.” Touya hesitated. “So, why were you following me?”

Red shrugged. _Bored. Heard you talking. Interested._

The kid’s shoulder’s slouched. “Hey, speaking of which, have you ever met a kid with long green hair who goes by the name of N?” 

Red shook his head. _Sorry._

The kid nodded morosely. “Well, here–” He flicked a business card in Red’s direction, who caught it in one hand before slipping it into his pocket. “If you hear anything about him, you know, contact me.”

 _Is he missing?_ Red signed.

Touya hesitated. “In a sense. He– ran away, I guess, is what you’d call it. I’m trying to find him again.”

Red nodded. 

“So why are you undercover?”

_To avoid being recognized._

“Yeah, but _why?_ ”

Red scanned the kid with a critical gaze. He was good, Red had to admit. _You will not speak of this._

“Duh.”

_I am spying on criminal syndicates._

Touya blinked at him. “What, like Team Rocket?”

Red nodded. _Exactly like Team Rocket._

“Huh.” Touya lifted his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “You wouldn’t have happened to have heard of a group called Team Plasma, right?”

_I heard when you accused me of being them._

“Ah. Sorry about that. Um, Team Plasma’s the Rockets of my home region, Unova. They… their main leader was arrested a few months back, and Interpol has been searching for the rest of the Seven Sages– they’re the other leaders of the group. Most people back in Unova seem to think that they’re gone forever, and the danger has passed, and–” 

Touya cut himself off, rubbing his forehead. “I mean, aside from the Sages, the Shadow Triad is still out there, and most of the grunts haven’t even been identified, much less arrested…” He shook himself. “Anyway. I would be back home helping to actually shut Team Plasma down, but…”

 _You’re on a personal mission,_ Red signed. _Understandable._

Touya flushed. “I know it’s selfish and everything, but I can’t stop looking for him… I have to find him.”

Red nodded. _Cleaning up is not your responsibility. Even and especially if you took down their leader._

“That obvious, huh? Do I have the scars of a hardened warrior?”

Red ignored the attempt at deflection. _I lived on a mountain. Fought crime lord at age eleven, gave me issues. You are a kid. Picking up the pieces, not your job._

Touya looked at him for a long moment. In the silence, Red reached up to scratch Pikachu.

“Um. Thanks,” the kid eventually said. 

Red shrugged, because it was something he knew he could do. 

“So…” Touya folded his arms behind his head with all the grace of a teenager. “Do you wanna battle?”

Red arched a brow. 

“I’ve beat the standing champion of Unova,” the kid offered. “Alder? Maybe you’ve heard of him.”

He smirked. The voices of Blue and Green were scolding him in the back of his head, warning him not to make a scene. But Touya did seem strong, with the credentials to back it up. And Red had never battled a Unovan trainer.

Well, it wasn’t like Green and Blue didn’t know he was bad at taking orders. 

***

They chose the area in front of the lighthouse to battle, clearing the few pedestrians off to the side. 

Touya watched Red pull his hat over his face, thumbing his pokeballs with his Pikachu on his shoulder. The man was intimidating, but frankly, Touya had never met someone stronger than him who he hadn’t wanted to battle. And sure, this sometimes meant that he lost, but he had always thought of winning as a challenge. Everytime he lost, it was a promise to come back stronger.

Also, it was Red Masami. What trainer in their right mind wouldn’t want to battle him? And of course, Touya was sure many upstart trainers asked to battle the Kanto champ, but he wasn’t about to let himself be swept away. He was determined to prove he had some grit. 

They asked a bystander to referee, and the man agreed with a bemused smile, evidently not recognizing either of them. This was fair; trainers that had beat a champion were generally only known in their own regions, and Red, who was known across the world, was ‘undercover.’ Touya had to admit, the disguise had certainly thrown him off the trial, as Red was usually not seen in anything more than a t-shirt or his trademark red jacket. 

The tight-fitting shirt certainly accentuated Red’s biceps more than anything he usually wore, and Touya wasn’t above noticing.

Regardless, it was doubtful the disguise would hold up through the course of their battle, especially as Red sent out his recognizable Pokemon partners. 

“The battle will be six on six!” Their ref called, drawing attention and bringing more bystanders forward to watch. “No substitutions or healing items will be allowed. The battle will be over when either side is unable to battle. Ready… begin!”

Red immediately sent out his Lapras, and Touya responded by throwing out his Galvantula. “Alright, Tula!” He called. “Start this off with an Electro Ball!” 

Galvantula moved quickly, circling Lapras and throwing an Electro Ball.

Red made a decisive move with his hands that Touya nearly missed, but Lapras responded to it immediately, hitting the Electro Ball with an Ice Beam. The attacks collided, causing a bright flash of light before shards of ice went everywhere and a weak ripple of electricity moved outwards from the point of contact. 

Lapras barely winced as the electricity hit her, and Galvantula flinched at the ice.

Red made another motion, and Lapras cried out. The area was suddenly shrouded in mist, and Touya was distantly aware of onlookers gasping in shock. He couldn’t see the fight. “Tula!” He yelled. “Go high!” 

His Pokemon called back through the mist, and Touya had to hope that it had worked. There was an agonizing moment of silence, and then Galvantula crashed back to the ground in front of him, shaking from exertion and the impact of another Ice Beam. 

“Shit.” Suddenly, a looming shape appeared directly above Galvantula. “Sucker Punch, Tula!” Lapras was thrown back at the impact with a cry, her Body Slam interrupted. 

The mist was beginning to dissipate, but Touya still couldn’t see Red. He had to wonder briefly how the hell he was communicating with his Pokemon, but his musings were interrupted when Galvantula urgently called back to him. 

Lapras appeared to be charging another Ice Beam. “Dodge, Tula, and use Bug Buzz!” Lapras’ attack just barely missed Galvantula, and the other Pokémon flinched back at the bug type attack. 

Touya’s eyes caught the leery stare Galvantula was directing at him, and he nodded once, beginning to smirk. Lapras came in from above, hitting Galvantula with a Body Slam. Touya crossed his fingers. _Use it, Tula…_

When Lapras rolled away, the electric Pokemon was wincing, getting up from the ground. “Electro Ball!” Touya called, and Galvantula began to charge the attack.

The mist was gone by now, and Touya saw Red swipe his hand through the air. Red’s signals to his Pokemon weren’t sign language, as far as he could tell, and he was fascinated by it. Lapras responded to the motion and released an Ice Beam as Galvantula’s attack finished charging. The Electro Ball was released, and Lapras’ Ice Beam met it. 

These attacks had collided before in the battle, and Touya was sure they were going to explode into each other yet again. This time, however, Lapras cried out, still shooting the Ice Beam. There was a moment of nearly unbearable tension, and the hair on the back of Touya’s neck stood up straight. With a shock wave that made Touya bring his arms up to cover his face, Lapras cut through the Electro Ball.

He was sure his jaw had to be near the ground. “Tula, dodge!” He called desperately, but it was no good. Lapras’ Ice Beam kept going, hitting Galvantula head on, and after a long moment, his Pokemon collapsed on the ground. 

“Tula, return!” He called. Touya sent a smirk in Red’s direction. “Okay, so that was pretty good.”

Red rolled his eyes in response.

The crowd around them had grown quite large, and he briefly scanned it while grabbing his next Pokemon. 

“Go, Musha!” His Musharna appeared with a flash of light, and Red’s eyes narrowed, observing her critically. 

“Moonblast!” Musharna began to glow with power, and as she released the attack, Red made a slashing motion with his arm. Lapras appeared to strain where she sat, and then the blast hit her head on.

Red’s eyes were wide with shock, and Touya grinned. “Oh, maybe you didn’t notice. When your Lapras Body Slammed my Galvantula, he hit her with a Sticky Web attack. Your Lapras is now gummed to the ground. Good luck dodging! Musha, use Zen Headbutt!”

Red motioned something with his hand, and Lapras sent an Ice Beam towards Musharna’s charging form. Touya was ready. “Musha, dodge!” 

She rolled out of the way just in time, her attack disrupted but unharmed. “Defense Curl, then Zen Headbutt again!”

As Musharna started to tear towards Lapras for a second time, Red narrowed his eyes, and motioned to his Pokemon. Lapras closed her eyes, and then opened her mouth. 

Her cry was one of the most eerie things Touya had ever heard, causing him to shudder and rub his ears. Many among their audience did the same, but Red didn’t appear affected. Musharna called out in discomfort, but hit Lapras head on.

The ice-and-water type fainted.

“Oh my _Arceus,_ ” Touya expressed, opening his jaw to pop his ears. “Was that _Perish Song?_ ”

 _That,_ Red signed, smirking, _was payback._

Touya narrowed his eyes. “Oh, it is _on._ ”

***

That afternoon, when Ruby and Wally dragged Sapphire to the market, it was nearly empty.

“Why’s there no one here?” She asked, looking around.

“Excuse me,” Wally said, getting the attention of a vendor. “Is there some sort of event going on? Why is the market so empty?”

“Oh, there are two trainers battling by the lighthouse,” she said. “Apparently they’re both really strong. They’ve drawn in quite a big crowd.”

“Thanks,” Wally said, and she and Ruby locked eyes.

“20 yen says one of those trainers is Red Masami,” he taunted.

She smirked. “I’ll take that bet.”

“Come on!” Wally said, and they ran off to the lighthouse.

Once there, they snaked their way to the front of the crowd. Sapphire looked at the two trainers: one had poofy black hair and the other wore a red baseball cap.

“That’s Red,” Wally whispered, pointing at the former. “He’s undercover.” 

“Uh huh.”

“Watch,” said Ruby. “He doesn’t talk. And he’s battling with a Pikachu.”

He did indeed have a Pikachu on the field, battling a Pokemon that she vaguely recognized as an Emboar.

“That’s a final stage starter from Unova,” she said, pointing at the fire type.

“Woah,” Wally marveled, and she could practically see the stars in his eyes.

“Bo, use Hammer Arm!” Red-Hat-Guy called. Not-Red made a motion with his hands, and the Pikachu jumped, landing on the Emboar’s head and using what looked like a Discharge.

The Emboar stumbled backwards, sparking with what looked like paralysis. 

“Excuse me,” Sapphire whispered to the person next to her. “What Pokemon has that guy used?” She pointed at Not-Red. 

“He had a Lapras, and all three Kanto starters in their final forms!” They whispered back, brimming with excitement. “Those Pokemon are like, super rare and strong!”

She nodded in agreement, and Wally looked at her significantly. She rolled her eyes, and turned back to the battle.

The Pikachu was directing a Thunderbolt at the Emboar’s Flamethrower attack. The two moves met, and the area sizzled with heat and energy. Sapphire’s skin tingled with excitement, and she caught herself leaning forward. 

The power of the two moves seemed to match, and both Pokemon flinched as the attacks cancelled out with a powerful shock wave. 

Red-Hat-Guy crossed his arms in front of his face to resist the tremor of power, and Not-Red took a step back to balance himself. When it hit the audience, many onlookers were pushed back several steps. 

The area was silent for a moment, and then Red-Hat-Guy called out, “Bo! Head Smash!” The Emboar snorted, fire streaming out of its nostrils, and it began to charge. 

“That’ll have some serious recoil,” she heard Ruby mutter, although she didn’t dare tear her eyes from the scene. 

Not-Red made a small flicking movement with his fingers, and the Pikachu charged forward, meeting the Emboar head on with an Iron Tail. There was a tense moment, and then both Pokemon were thrown backwards. 

Pikachu and Emboar each hit the ground, knocked out. Not-Red ran out to scoop the Pikachu into his arms, and he set the fainted Pokemon at his feet. Emboar was returned to his pokeball, which Red-Hat-Guy set back on his belt. 

“Each trainer has one Pokemon remaining!” Someone called, running forward. Sapphire guessed they were the referee, having wisely chosen to stay out of the way during the battle.

Not-Red smiled, his eyes glinting. He threw out his last Pokemon, and a Snorlax materialized with a burst of red light.

“That’s literally Red Masami’s team,” Wally whispered. “Believe us now?”

“I’m getting there,” she muttered.

Red-Hat-Guy held his last pokeball tightly in his hand. His face was covered by the brim of his hat, and he stood still and tense. 

Finally, he looked up. “I forfeit,” he called, and shock permeated the area.

“What?” Ruby muttered next to her.

“I forfeit!” He called again, louder this time, placing his last pokeball back on his belt. He walked forward with an arm extended, and shook hands with the clearly stunned Not-Red.

The crowd muttered with disappointment, and began to dissipate. After second, she, Ruby, and Wally ran out to meet the two trainers.

“Sorry about that,” Red-Hat-Guy was saying. As Sapphire got closer, she realized he could’ve only been a few years older than her. “I just… my last teammate’s pretty volatile. If it were just us, I wouldn’t hesitate, but we’re in a very public place.”

Sapphire suddenly found herself very curious about what was in the guy’s last pokeball.

Not-Red nodded, looking disappointed, and Red-Hat-Guy laughed. “Yeah, dude, I get it. I really wanted to beat you.”

Not-Red scoffed, and did something with his hands.

“You wish,” Red-Hat-Guy said, and Sapphire realized it was sign language. 

“Are you really Red Masami?” She asked, unable to help herself. Not-Red turned to her in shock. He appeared to register Ruby and Wally, and then his eyes cleared with understanding. He signed something, and Sapphire shifted awkwardly on her feet. “Er… I can’t read sign language. I’m sorry.”

Not-Red looked significantly at Red-Hat-Guy. “Oh,” said the latter. “I can translate. He asked, ‘Are you Sapphire?’”

“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Yeah. Did they, uh, mention me?” She asked, gesturing at Ruby and Wally.

Not-Red nodded, and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and showed her his ID. The name was printed boldly: Red Masami. 

“Ha!” Ruby cried. “You owe me 20 yen!” 

She deflated, pulling out her own wallet. “Okay, fine,” she relented. “But in all fairness, what are the odds of running into the famous Red Masami in Slateport of all places?”

Red laughed silently, and she glared. “Hey, come on, they gave you _all_ of the information we’ve collected. Imagine how bad it would be if you _weren’t_ Red Masami.” 

The Kanto champ shrugged, and then nodded assent. 

“Uh…” Red-Hat-Guy cleared his throat. “I’m Touya. Who’re you three?”

“I’m Ruby,” Ruby introduced. “This is Wally, and that’s Sapphire. Wally and I met Red yesterday, and were able to trade some… information.” 

Touya side-eyed Red. “That information wouldn’t happen to be related to your whole ‘spying on criminal syndicates’ thing, would it?”

Red shrugged again, and Sapphire snickered.

“Touya, how’d you meet Red?” Wally asked. “I thought he was undercover.”

The older boy rolled his eyes. “Well, he chased me down and cornered me in an alleyway before telling me his identity and swearing me to secrecy.”

Red shook his head and signed something. 

“He says I immediately demanded to battle him after learning who he was, but you shouldn’t believe him. He lies.”

“Uh huh,” Ruby grinned. 

“You’re from Unova, right, Touya?” Wally asked. “Why are _you_ in Slateport?”

Touya shrugged, the mirth leaving his eyes. “I’m looking for a friend. You three wouldn’t happen to know a guy named N? A bit taller than me, long green hair?”

When they traded glances and shook their heads, Touya sighed. He handed a business card to Ruby. “Right, well, if you happen to see a guy like that, please let me know.”

Wally nodded. “Of course we will.” 

Touya straightened. “Well, I really should be moving on. I had a lot of fun this afternoon, but I need to be moving north to Mauville.”

“Are you searching for your friend there?” Wally asked softly.

“Yeah. I’m– I’m looking all over.” 

There was a brief silence. 

“Mauville’s a big city,” Ruby offered, making Sapphire and Wally look at him. “But the three of us have travelled there before. I have some friends there who might be able to help you look.”

Touya appeared to hesitate. 

“Ruby’s right,” Sapphire said hesitantly. “If you want, we could help you look across Hoenn. We’ve got contacts all over.”

“A-are you sure?” Touya asked. “I mean, if you could, that would be great– even if you could just send out a description, tell them to keep an eye out– but you shouldn’t get too involved. You’re only kids, and it’s not your responsibility…”

“You’re a kid, too,” Sapphire said. “You’re what, seventeen? The three of us are fifteen– well, Ruby’s fourteen, he’s a baby–” Ruby hit her– “And I would hardly call asking our friends to keep an eye out ‘getting involved.’”

“Having said that,” Wally hedged, “We’ll likely be… traveling soon–” Here his eyes darted to Red, who narrowed his eyes in suspicion– “So we can continue to get the word out wherever we end up.”

“We’ll find him, Touya,” Ruby confirmed. “I’ll message the number on the card you gave me to ask you for a thorough description of the guy.”

Touya still looked hesitant. “If you insist on getting involved, I need to warn you… this guy was involved in Team Plasma, which was a criminal organization back in Unova. He was misguided, and confused, and when I toppled Plasma’s leader he fled to rediscover himself. I… that was a year ago. My point is, if you find him, he might not be willing to come peacefully with you. ”

Sapphire exchanged glances with Wally and Ruby, and then crossed her arms. “Touya, the three of us have been working to resist some criminal syndicates here in Hoenn for the better part of a year– Team Aqua and Team Magma. We’re well familiar with getting ourselves out of sticky situations, and all of us are super capable trainers. Wally and I have beaten Hoenn’s champion, and Ruby definitely could if he wasn’t so committed to being a _coordinator._ ”

“Why the tone of disgust?” Ruby asked, offended. Wally rolled his eyes.

Touya's mouth twitched and he looked at Red. “Are you working with them or something?”

Red rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Well?” Ruby persisted.

Touya sighed. “Fine. It does sound like you guys could help me quite a bit. But in return, I’m going to keep an ear out for any news I hear about your Team Magma and Aqua.” He nodded at Ruby. “If I find out anything, I’ll message you.”

Sapphire sighed. “I’m starting to think that crime syndicates are a much more widespread problem than I had initially thought.” 

Ruby snickered.

“Alright,” Touya sighed. “I need to heal my Pokes at the Center, and then I’m heading out to Mauville.”

Red signed something, and Touya nodded. “He says he’s going to heal too, and then he needs to get to Sootopolis to catch a flight back to Kanto.” 

“Brilliant,” Sapphire declared. “We’re coming with you.”

Red looked at her with wide eyes that quickly narrowed as he looked between her and the boys. He shook his head.

She shrugged. “I mean, even if you don’t let us go with you, we can still make our way to Kanto by our own means.”

He signed something sharply. “Uh… he says he still won’t teach you anything,” Touya translated.

She shrugged. “Who said anything about teaching? Maybe we fancy a vacation.”

Red buried his head in his arms, and then seemed to deflate. He turned to Touya and signed something. “Um, he says he _still_ won’t teach you anything. He also says he’ll be on the beach of Route 109 in twenty minutes, and that he’ll be leaving with or without you.”

Sapphire beamed. “What a kind offer, Mr. Masami!”

Red rolled his eyes and turned to begin walking towards the Center, but Sapphire thought he looked fond as he did it. 

“We need to go,” Ruby said, watching Red walk away. “We should hit the Pokemart before region-hopping.” He turned back to Touya and smiled. “Something tells me we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”

As Touya watched them run off with a bemused expression, she caught Wally looking between the  
Unovan trainer and Ruby with a faint pout. 

“That wasn’t even flirting,” she whispered, “so chill out. Besides, Touya’s clearly gone for that N guy.”

Wally’s ears turned bright red as he stuttered in protest, and she smirked before turning to catch up with Ruby.


	7. Passing Through Sootopolis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some introspection on Red's part.  
> We meet Steven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a filler chapter, sorry about that. I'll probably get a better chapter out tomorrow or the day after.
> 
> Enjoy!

Red scanned the horizon from his perch on Lapras’ back. The water was rough, and droplets of seawater hit his face. Behind him sat the kids, as he’d taken to thinking of them– Wally, Ruby, and Sapphire. The latter certainly made quite the addition to their group. She was a spitfire, and as soon as Red saw the three of them together, he realized he didn’t know how he could’ve missed the hole she filled beside them. 

There was a splash behind him, and he turned to see what had fallen in. Sapphire and Wally were looking guilty at Ruby, who scowled.

Red tapped Wally on the shoulder and cocked his head to the side.

“Uh…” He cleared his throat. “Ruby’s fashion case just fell into the water.”

“Because you were tossing it,” Ruby complained. “You’re lucky it’s waterproof, I have a lot of good accessories in there. I kind of need it for my contests.”

Wally smiled sheepishly, and Sapphire rolled her eyes. 

Red looked between the three of them, wondering why they didn’t seem worried about getting the item back.

Ruby sighed, and then reached down to his belt. He threw a pokeball, and a Pokemon burst out into the water. It had two black fins on its head that poked up out the water, and Red saw its muscles rippling beneath its sleek blue and orange skin as it swam alongside Lapras. 

_Swampert?_ Red signed, before noticing that no one was looking at him and remembering no one here would understand him, anyway.

“Hey, Swampert,” said Ruby, and that answered that question. “Wally and Sapphire dropped my fashion case in the water. Would you get it for me?”

The creature nodded, and slunk away under the waves. A moment later, its head popped back up above the water, and a pink case was held in its mouth.

“Thanks, buddy,” Ruby said. “D’ya wanna stay out and swim for a bit?” 

Swampert ducked under the waves in response, keeping a short distance as it swam with them. 

Intrigued by the Pokemon, Red scooted his way over the edge of Lapras’ shell closest to it. He pulled out a journal and began taking notes, leaning over the water to get a good view. 

He drew a rough sketch of Swampert’s head, estimating lengths and proportions. He noted the way the Pokemon’s muscles moved as it swam, including details about which of its limbs propelled it forward and which it used to change direction. 

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he swiveled his head to see three pairs of wide eyes staring at him. 

“What are you doing?” Wally asked, and he didn’t seem anything more than curious, so after a moment of hesitation, Red humored him.

‘Making notes for some Kalosian academics,’ he wrote in the margins.

Green had brought some of his friends over for a house party one night, and somehow they got their hands on one of Red’s journals from his journey through Kanto. Green had watched with no small amount of amusement as they’d loudly praised the detail with which he observed Pokemon, and had begged to borrow his various notes from his travels across Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh. (Red had traveled after coming down from Mt. Silver, trying to never stay in one place long enough to be found by reporters. Green had eventually found him climbing Mt. Coronet, and it was only when Red had seen his childhood friend/rival shivering against the biting winds twenty-thousand feet in the air on another goddamned mountain that he had known it was time to come home. A month later, he’d appeared in public in an official capacity for the first time in six years, sitting an interview with one Green Oak at his side.)

Now, anytime Red made field notes, he sent them to Green’s friends instead of Professor Oak, whose Pokedex was filled by travelling ten year olds and whose grandson made a sour face whenever he was mentioned.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Red focused on the three kids leaning over his shoulder to read his notes. 

“Those are good,” Ruby said, “but all Pokemon in Hoenn have been studied by Professor Birch for his Pokedex. Sapph and I are ‘Dex holders, and Professor Birch is even her dad, so if you wanted to know about Pokemon from Hoenn, we could tell you anything.” 

Wally nodded vigorously, and Sapphire rolled her eyes but did not object.

Red watched them, the corners of his mouth twitching.

‘No thanks,’ he wrote after a moment. ‘I prefer to do my own research.’

Sapphire blinked at this, then shrugged. “Okay, that’s probably fair. My dad’s kinda nutty, anyway.”

Ruby snickered at this, and Wally looked between them. “You say these things about him,” Wally said, “but I’ve only ever known him as the well-respected academic.”

“Sure, an academic,” Sapphire said, grinning sharply. “But well-respected he is not.”

Ruby straight up laughed at this, and Red grinned.

‘I think that is most professors,’ he wrote, and Sapphire snorted before nodding.

The kids began to banter again, and Red leaned back against Lapras’ neck as he watched. He could feel the vibrations in her throat as she hummed in contentment, and found himself agreeing that they were pretty good kids. But it was this acknowledgment that helped to steel Red’s resolve: there was no way he was helping these kids get more involved in fighting criminals than they already were.

He only needed to close his eyes to see the dark grin of Giovanni’s Persian, to remember shaking of the Silph Co. high-rise as the man’s Rhydon had attacked him, to feel the shattering of glass and the force of wind against his skin as he was thrown from the top floor of the building to the street below. When he’d woken at the hospital, nobody could tell him anything about Giovanni’s current whereabouts or Team Rocket’s plans, least of all the police. He remembered being told to move along, to continue on his journey, to not get involved. The cops spoke condescendingly to him about the damage he had caused, about how Team Rocket’s leader was still at large and how the Silph building would need to be rebuilt. 

He wondered if they had been so dismissive when they had seen his body hit the street, in the moments before anyone knew whether he had lived or died. Did they know he was only doing this because no one else would? Did they realize that Team Rocket had been kidnapping and abusing Pokemon for years, and that no one had stood up?

When he’d taken down Giovanni at the Viridian Gym weeks later, he had been shaking with rage at the sight of him. He’d fought Giovanni’s Pokemon to nearly within an inch of their lives, and the man’s final words about disbanding Team Rocket had felt like taunts. Red had been the last person to believe that, and the least surprised to hear of their return in Johto. Why should they disband, just because a kid had beaten their boss in a gym battle? Why give up so easily after coming so far, after causing so much damage and ruining so many lives?

Red opened his eyes to remember the sun, but even that didn’t stop the memories replaying in his head. Mostly, he remembered the ice-like winds of the mountain on which he’d hid, not just from the unbearable pressure of expectation from everyone he knew, but also from the memories he’d known that going home would bring.

There were few things Red was determined to do in his life, but keeping any more kids from getting involved with Team Rocket was one of them.

***

When they arrived in Sootopolis, Red found that he had an actual signal, and so he sent a text to Green and Blue.

 _At the Sootopolis airport,_ he typed. _Flight leaves in 40 minutes._

Blue sent back a thumbs up, and Green messaged, _We all need to talk when you’re back. Come to the gym._

 _You make it sound so menacing,_ Blue replied. _It’s not that bad. Just a change of plans._

Red shoved his phone in his pocket, and looked around to see the kids harassing a guy in a suit with spiky blue hair and dark sunglasses. The man seemed to cringe as the kids’ voices chirped.

He watched in amusement before scribbling a message on a scrap piece of paper and approaching the scene.

Red stuck the note into Sapphire’s hands, who read it before dissolving in giggles. Ruby and Wally leaned over her shoulders to look.

‘This man is hungover,’ it read, and Wally’s cheeks flushed as Ruby barked out a laugh.

“Red,” Sapphire snorted, “please let us introduce you to Steven Stone, champion of the Hoenn region.”

Red raised his eyebrows, still mostly amused. 

Steven tried for a charming smile, but it just looked like he was wincing. “It’s a pleasure.”

Red tugged the paper scrap from Sapphire’s hands and thrust it at the man. The kids watched, giggling, as he read it. His expression was largely hidden by his sunglasses, but after a moment, he threw back his head and laughed. The motion caused him to place his head in his hands, but his smile now seemed more genuine.

“Okay, caught me.”

Red rolled his eyes. 

Steven attempted to straighten. “I’m sorry to make your acquaintance like this. What did you say your name was?”

Red tapped his lips and then looked meaningfully at Ruby. 

“Uhm, his name is Red,” the kid offered. “He’s mute.”

“Oh,” Steven said, and to Red’s delight, he began to sign as he spoke. “It’s good to meet you, Red. What are you doing with these three?”

Red rolled his eyes, and signed back, _They won’t stop following me around._

Steven raised his eyebrows and looked at the kids. Sapphire crossed her arms. “Whatever he just told you is a blasphemous lie.”

The Hoenn champion chuckled. “Noted.” His wrist watch beeped, and he grimaced again as he looked down at it. “I’d love to stay and chat, guys, but I do have a board meeting I need to get to. It was good to see you three. Keep training. You better show up to challenge me soon, Ruby!”

Ruby laughed. “You’d love the honor, wouldn’t you?”

Steven flicked the boy’s head and shared a commiserating eye roll with Red before giving a wave and beginning to turn away. 

Red tapped his shoulder. _Next time, we battle._

Steven stopped, and appeared to reassess Red. His eyes narrowed briefly, and then he grinned brightly. “Definitely.”

Then he was gone. 

Red pulled out another piece of paper as he turned to the kids, and wrote another message.

‘Why was he in Sootopolis? The league is the next island over.’

Wally nodded, grinning cheekily. “Steven Stone happens to be in a relationship with Wallace, the Sootopolis gym leader, which has got to be the worst kept secret in Hoenn. I imagine they had some fun together last night, hence why he was hungover.”

“If we had time, I’d say we should go bug Wallace about it,” Sapphire mused.

Ruby’s eyes brightened. “Wally, didn’t you say Lisia was visiting him yesterday? She might still be here. I’ll text her.”

As Ruby pulled out his PokeNav, Wally began to pout, stopping when he caught Red’s pointed gaze. He blushed and looked away, and Red was sure he saw Sapphire roll her eyes. 

“We won’t have time to see her,” Sapphire said, deliberately stepping on Wally’s foot. “That’s what I was saying; our flight leaves soon.” 

_It’s not your flight,_ Red signed stubbornly, despite knowing no one would understand him. 

“No, I know,” Ruby said, still typing. “But if she’s here, she can nag him for us.”

Wally’s expression smoothed back out, and Sapphire shrugged. “Oh, that’s okay then.”

Red rolled his eyes, feeling as though they were soon going to roll out of his head.

***

By some miracle, they acquired three extra tickets once they arrived at the gate. The flight attendant happened to be a fan of Ruby’s contests, and he generously gave her an autograph. Sapphire un-subtly flipped open her wallet, showing off the stamp on her ID that meant she’d beaten Steven. The woman also seemed to recognize Sapphire, for her eyes got that much bigger.

Wally stepped back to stand with Red, who was thankfully still undercover.

“Idiots,” Wally muttered. “I have a moral objection to this.”

Regardless of any issues with ethics, when they stalked off to buy overpriced snacks before the flight, they each had a ticket. 

As Red set a bag of gummy worms by a register (they were Pikachu’s favorite), Ruby shoved his PokeNav in front of the Kanto champ’s face.

He recognized the news channel on the screen, and realized with a sinking feeling that the footage being played was of his and Touya’s battle. Blurry photos of both of them were thrown up on the screen, alongside their Pokemon teams. 

“It’s a good thing you’re getting out of Hoenn,” Ruby said as he tossed his own items in with Red’s stash. “They’ll have you ID’d by tomorrow morning.”

Green’s voice flashed through his mind. _Maybe you_ don’t _know what undercover means._

Red coughed guilty into his fist, and then turned to gesture at the food Ruby had piled onto the counter. Ruby examined his fingernails, not acknowledging him. Red rolled his eyes yet again, but handed his credit card to the man at the register.

They regrouped just before boarding, Sapphire with two neck pillows around her throat. Red raised an eyebrow, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Wally sighed at this, and grabbed Ruby’s hand, dragging him onto the plane.

“Come on, you assholes,” he grumbled. “The plane’s going to leave without us.”

Sapphire shot an exaggeration of an offended look at his back, and Red considered getting a bottle of wine once on board.


	8. Arrival in Kanto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Kanto and Hoenn trios meet up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are happening! I'm excited.
> 
> Enjoy!

Unfortunately, Red arrived in Saffron City stone cold sober, but there was the silver lining of finally being able to release Pikachu. Nevermind that she was a very common Pokemon in Kanto; even if Red was recognized, he doubted that it would cause a big fuss in his home region.

Pikachu pouted at him for being in her pokeball for so long, but wrapped herself around his neck all the same. Sapphire had fallen asleep during the flight, so Wally grabbed her trainer bag and slung it over his shoulder while Ruby situated the girl on his back. Her arms hung awkwardly over his shoulders, and her head was tilted forward as she snored. 

“She sounds like a lawnmower,” Ruby grumbled, but Red saw his look of fond exasperation, and neither he nor Wally moved to wake her up. 

“You two are so sweet,” Wally teased. Ruby shot him a glare, and the other boy smirked in response. 

They walked out to the road, where Red sent out and mounted Charizard.

“We’re flying?” Ruby asked, and Red nodded.

“I meant to ask you earlier,” Wally said. “How do you have all three Kanto starters?”

Red rolled his eyes, tugging out his Pokegear and typing a message. ‘Charizard belonged to Green.’

“So how did you get two Kanto starters?” Ruby asked doggedly.

Red’s expression darkened. ‘Favoritism.’

Wally and Ruby exchanged a glance, but let the subject drop. The former dug for two pokeballs, releasing an Altaria and a Pokemon that Red vaguely recognized as being from Kalos.

Oh, Green was going to love that. Red gestured to the bird Pokemon with a raised brow, and Wally grinned. 

“This is my Talonflame,” he introduced. The Pokemon looked imperiously towards Red, and then extended its wings, unleashing a wave of heat. Particles of ash drifted to the ground beneath it.

Wally rolled his eyes, but was smiling broadly.

Ruby slouched Sapphire on Altaria’s fluffy back, and then climbed up behind her. Wally mounted Talonflame with a deft leap, and they both looked expectantly at Red.

“After you,” Wally grinned.

Charizard launched into the air with a burst of speed, and Red felt his shoulders begin to relax for the first time since he had left Kanto two days ago. He liked to travel, okay, and he had met some great people while in Hoenn, but he was in his element soaring through the Kanto skies. This was home.

There was a screeching caw from Talonflame and a lilting cry from Altaria as they each took to the skies, but Red was more focused on the world opening up beneath him. The wind felt excellent in his hair, and the afternoon sun beat brilliantly down on them. They raced through the clouds, the air biting at Red’s cheeks. In his exhilaration, he failed to notice the smiles that Ruby and Wally exchanged a good distance behind him. 

***

It took about twenty minutes for them to reach Viridian City, and when they touched down in front of the gym, Sapphire was still asleep. This did not stop Ruby and Wally from looking around themselves in awe, and exchanging shining looks of excitement. 

The doors of the gym were pushed open, and a man came running out. Wally had just recognized him as Green Oak before he was hugging Red tightly. The latter’s face expressed brief shock before melting into fond exasperation, and Red put his arms around Green. Wally was just about to turn away to offer them some privacy when Green pulled back, and slapped Red across the face. 

Wally hissed through his teeth, and Ruby snickered next to him.

“You are an absolute fool!” Green shouted, waving his arms. Red’s face had settled into that of sheepish acceptance as he rubbed his cheek, and Wally had a sneaking suspicion that he’d known this was coming. “Another battle? After I’d already scolded you for your first one? And a six on six, are you kidding me! They had you figured out two hours later!” 

Red’s hands began moving in rapid-fire sign language, too fast for Wally to follow, even if he could have understood it. Once again, however, Green seemed to have no problem keeping up, and the two quickly deteriorated into a fierce argument punctuated by poking the other in the chest.

Wally blinked, and realized that another person had come out of the gym after Green, albeit at a slower pace. She had long brown hair, and wore sparkling earrings that Wally recognized as the Boulder and Cascade Badges. 

Her expression was sharp with wit and humor, but she quickly sidestepped Red and Green to stand before him and Ruby.

She folded her arms and looked down at them with vague amusement. 

“Are those actual gym badges?” Wally blurted, gesturing at his own ears. The woman looked down at him in surprise, and then laughed.

“Of course not,” she said, putting a bit too much emphasis on each of the words. “Why ever would you think that?”

Wally narrowed his eyes at her, and she winked in response. “They belong to mister undercover-expert over there,” she whispered, gesturing at Red. “Don’t tell him, he thinks they’re fake.”

“Why do you have them?” Ruby snickered, eyes sparkling. 

She smirked, and tapped the side of her nose. 

Ruby rolled his eyes, and Wally attempted to hide his chuckle behind his hand.

“So,” the woman said, faux-casual. “Do I get the pleasure of being introduced to you both?”

“Oh– I’m Wally, he’s Ruby.”

The woman tilted her head. “Okay. I’m Blue. Who’s that?” 

Wally turned to see Sapphire still slumped against Altaria, asleep.

“That’s Sapphire.”

“And why are you here?”

Ruby straightened his back. “The three of us are accomplished trainers from Hoenn. We met Red while he was there, and we’re pretty sure he was looking for Rocket activity. When he found out about Team Magma and Team Aqua, he managed to get a photo of a Magma grunt’s ID. We’ve been investigating and spying on Magma and Aqua for the better part of a year, and so we negotiated with Red to get the man’s identity in exchange for all of the data we’ve collected in the past nine months.”

Blue’s eyebrows were raised very high. “Did that seem like an uneven trade to either of you?” 

“Leave us alone about it,” Ruby grumbled. “Sapphire already chewed us out about it, and Green did too.”

“And when did Green meet you?”

“He called Red after we’d finished negotiating,” Wally piped up. “We talked briefly.”

“Hm. So… why are you in Kanto?” 

Wally set his expression. “We want Red to teach us to spy. Or, I guess we want all of you to teach us to spy, and to resist criminal syndicates like the Rockets. We know that all of you have fought Team Rocket before, and we know you’re investigating Magma and Aqua now. We’re formidable trainers, like Ruby said, and we know a lot about Magma and Aqua. We could help each other.”

Blue’s eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline by the time Wally had finished talking. She let her gaze sweep over all of them again, and then turned to Green and Red. “Guys, I think I need your help here.”

Ruby took the opportunity to shake Sapphire. “Wake up,” he hissed into her ear.

She yawned widely as Green, Blue, and Red faced the three of them, and Wally watched as she immediately kicked Ruby in the nuts after opening her eyes.

“Jesus fuck!” He hissed, retreating. “What was that for?”

Green snorted in amusement from behind them. 

“Where are we?” She muttered, eyes darting around.

“Viridian City,” Wally offered, keeping a good distance away from her. He was sure this didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, but he had priorities. Ruby shot him a dirty look, and he stuck out his tongue. 

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” She asked, hopping down from Altaria’s back. 

Wally shrugged. “I didn’t wake you up because I value my extremities. Ruby clearly doesn’t share my reservations, so maybe he was trying to mess up your sleep schedule, or something.”

“Or something,” Ruby muttered darkly.

Sapphire rolled her eyes. “Sorry for kicking you.”

“I’m sure.”

Blue cleared her throat, and the three of them immediately turned to face the older trainers. Red had a small smirk on his face, and Ruby directed another glare at him. Green was watching with an amused expression, and Blue’s eyebrows were still by her hairline.

Sapphire’s expression smoothed. “Good to meet you all.” 

Green pointed a finger at her. “I assume you’re their friend… Topaz, or something?”

She shuddered. “No. Arceus, no. It’s Sapphire.”

“Why’s that any better?” Wally muttered, and she kicked him. 

Blue put her hand on her hip. “So… the boys have explained to me that they followed Red to Kanto so we could teach them how to fight crime.”

Red immediately crossed his arms in an X, and then began signing again. Blue watched him, and then turned back to the three of them. “He says he refused to teach you anything.”

Sapphire nodded. “Sure. He also agreed that he couldn’t stop us from coming to Kanto.”

Blue and Green narrowed their eyes in unison. “So what’s the goal here?” Green asked. “Follow us around until we sit you down with a homework assignment about mob bosses?” 

She shook her head. “The goal is to prove ourselves.”

Green raised his eyebrows in response, but Blue’s expression finally settled back into a type of calm. “I see,” she said. “Can I assume those Pokemon belong to one of you?” She gestured at Altaria and Talonflame.

Green whistled through his teeth. “That looks like one powerful Talonflame. Well groomed. Nice condescending glare.”

Red signed something quickly, and Green flicked his forehead in response. “Shut up.”

“What did he say?” Ruby asked, looking between them.

Green sighed. “‘You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?’” He parroted in a high voice. 

Wally rolled his eyes as Ruby snickered. 

“They’re my partners,” Wally said, walking over to them. He stroked Altaria’s head as she hummed. “You did well.” He returned her with a flash of light, and then turned to Talonflame. The Pokemon looked down at him, and Wally laughed. “Get over yourself. Let me see your wings.”

After a moment, Talonflame mulishly held out his wings, letting Wally carefully stroke down the feathers as he avoided the heated underside. Once he was done, he returned the bird Pokemon to his ball, and turned back to the Kanto trainers.

Red and Blue were watching him with smooth expressions, but he thought he saw something like approval on Green’s face. 

“Anyway,” he said. “We get that Red doesn’t want to teach us, because apparently we’re too young, but it’s not like we’re planning on giving up.”

Sapphire and Ruby nodded together.

“So how do you plan to prove yourself?” Green challenged. 

Wally and Sapphire exchanged glances, and she opened her mouth to speak.

“Hold on,” Blue said, cutting her off. “We’ve got a problem happening in Celadon. Red, that’s what we were going to talk to you about. Yellow said ze came across some Rocket activity and staked it out. Ze found a building that they’re using as a base, and apparently Erika wants to help. But they’re waiting for us before they storm the place. We need to hurry there.” She looked over at the three of them. “We can deal with them later.”

“Hold on,” Ruby protested. “We can help with that. That’s not even spying, or anything like it! Storming a building is just battling, and we all know how to do that.”

“No,” Green responded as Red vigorously shook his head. “We’re not letting you interact with Rockets until we’ve seen your abilities ourselves. This still isn’t us agreeing to anything, but you definitely are not allowed to come with us. Yellow’s bad enough,” he added, shooting a glare at Blue. 

“You can’t stop us,” Ruby protested. “You don’t have any authority over the three of us.” 

Green’s face darkened, and he drew himself up to his full height. “We are the adults here,” he insisted. “You want to prove yourselves, you listen to what we say. You are not coming to Celadon.”

Ruby looked darkly down at the ground, and Wally and Sapphire exchanged glances above his head. 

“Fine,” Sapphire said firmly. “But you hear us out when you get back.”

Green rolled his eyes, but Blue put her hand on his arm. “We’ll hear you out,” she said. “We’re not agreeing to anything more.”

Sapphire held her hands up as a sign of surrender. 

“Salma!” Green yelled. “Come out here, I know you’re eavesdropping.”

A woman in a gym uniform and tied up dark hair stepped out of the gym, a smile on her face. “What’s up, boss?”

“Shut down the gym for the rest of the day. We’ve got some business to take care of. And look after those three,” he said, nodding at them. “Make sure they don’t go anywhere.”

“Sure thing,” she said, and then turned to hold a hand out to Wally. “I’m Salma. Pleased to meet you.”

“Wally,” he responded cordially. “That’s Ruby and Sapphire.”

The former nodded at her, still pouting, and the later directed a wave towards the gym trainer.

Red remounted Charizard, and Green sent out his Pidgeot. Blue sent a smile their way. “For what it’s worth, I like you three.” Wally grinned in response, and she nodded before sending out a Jigglypuff.

“We’re heading to Celadon,” she told the Pokemon, and it took in a large breath of air before expanding like a balloon. Jigglypuff began to float, and Blue grabbed its foot. Wally watched in astonishment as the ballooned Pokemon began to carry her away.

Green rolled his eyes. “Sure, it’s an eye-catcher,” he said, “but you can’t beat speed.” With that, his Pidgeot shot off the ground, rocketing in the same direction.

Red rolled his eyes next, so perfectly copying Green’s posture that Wally was sure he was mocking the other trainer. He smirked at them, and then pointed at Salma with a firm expression.

Wally nodded, and then Charizard took off into the sky, chasing after Blue and Green. 

Salma clapped her hands together. “Do you want to meet the other gym trainers?” She asked.

“Please,” Sapphire said, smiling demurely. She shot a pointed look at Wally, and then let Salma lead her into the gym.

“We can’t really just be staying here while a fight happens,” Ruby said desperately, looking at Wally.

“Of course we aren’t,” Wally said, “but play along.”

Salma stuck her head back out of the gym. “Come on, guys!”

“We’re right behind you!” Wally grinned, grabbing Ruby’s hand and pulling him along.


	9. The Rocket Hideout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone beats up some Rockets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I dunno how good this chapter is but I really need to put something out, so.
> 
> Enjoy!

Green’s Pidgeot touched down on a sidestreet in Celadon, a short ways away from where Blue stood, returning her Jigglypuff. A little further down the road was Yellow, zir cheeks stretched side in a grin. Behind him, Red jumped off of Charizard’s back, returning the Pokemon to its pokeball. Erika stood calmly at Yellow’s shoulder, arms folded.

The woman nodded firmly. “It is good to see you three. Let us now drive Team Rocket out of Celadon City.”

Green grinned. “Easy.”

“We should all thank Yellow,” Blue said, throwing a pointed look at Green. “Ze found this hideout, after all.”

Green fixed a firm look on Yellow. “This was wildly irresponsible of you.”

 _But good job,_ Red signed, and Green glared at him. 

Yellow grinned impishly. “Thanks. From what I can tell, there are only Rockets inside. Probably more than a few Pokemon hostages, but I figure any missing people would have raised some flags.” 

Blue nodded. “Great. We’ll go bottom up, so anyone who runs is corralled up top. Yellow, you should stay out here and keep watch in case someone makes an escape attempt.”

Green tossed a walkie-talkie at Yellow, and ze caught it deftly. He pointed at zir. “Seriously. Stay safe. Stay high. You see anything, you let us know.” 

Yellow nodded, looking determined. 

With a flash of light, zir Butterfree appeared, looping quickly though the air with a pleased cry behind attaching itself to Yellow’s back. “See you on the other side,” ze called, and as Butterfree’s wings moved, ze ascended into the sky. 

Red looked up after Yellow, chewing on his lip, and Green followed his gaze with a knitted brow.

Blue flicked his forehead. “Ze will be fine. Come on.” 

“Hey!” He protested. “Why don’t you flick Red instead?”

“You’re more overbearing,” she called back, sashaying her way to the front entrance of the building the Rockets had overtaken. 

Erika looked at them gravely and nodded. “Your combined parental instincts are insufferable.”

Green’s cheeks flushed. “Okay!” He yelled, grabbing Red’s hand to drag him after Blue. “Entering the super-secret evil hideout now!” 

He heard Red snicker as he dragged him away, but very pointedly ignored it. 

“Arceus save me from dark haired women,” he muttered, and Red turned to face him in response.

 _I am not a woman,_ he signed with wide eyes, and Green narrowed his in return.

“You’re dead to me.”

***

Ruby grew steadily more impatient as Salma introduced them to the other gym trainers, to the point where Wally stepped on his foot and shot him a look. So he straightened up, and tried to look intrigued as Bonita smiled down at them, sending out his Spinda and Sudowoodo. 

“Oh, we should send out our Pokemon, too!” Wally gushed. Ruby, watching him carefully, barely caught the wink he directed at him, and suddenly understanding dawned. He had to keep himself from smirking.

As one unit, the three of them reached down to their belts and threw out a Pokemon each. Sapphire’s Gallade materialized with a burst of light, followed by Wally’s Roserade, and finally Ruby’s Gardevoir.

“Wow,” Elan said, looking impressed. “Those are some fine Pokemon.” 

Ida, with her arm perched on his shoulder, nodded vigorously. “Yeah, you guys might be fun to battle sometime.”

Sapphire grinned wickedly. “Thanks.” 

Ruby caught Gardevoir’s eye and nodded subtly. Her bright eyes began to gleam, and she faced the gym trainers again.

Wally’s Roserade began to sway playfully around Bonita’s Spinda, and the latter swirled around dizzily as Roserade flourished her arms. Ruby and Sapphire stepped back together, making an effort to avoid the paralysis spores now spread throughout the area. 

“Arabella will be sad she missed this,” Salma commented, watching Gallade’s blades carefully. “It’s not everyday you see such powerful Pokemon from another region.”

Bonita nodded. “My Spinda was a gift. Did you three catch your partners yourselves?” 

Wally nodded, engaging the two trainers. “Yeah, we all journeyed across Hoenn…” 

Behind them, Ida and Elan stared back into Gardevoir’s eyes, caught in her entrancing gaze. The psychic Pokemon’s power emanated subtly from her, and Ruby did not envy the headaches Ida and Elan would nurse once they woke. 

Finally, Sapphire cleared her throat, and Gallade stepped forward, catching the attention of Bonita and Salma. “False Swipe,” Sapphire said clearly, looking directly at them.

The gym trainers’ eyes widened in shock as Gallade stepped forward, raising his blades. “Whoa– what the hell are you doing! Counter, Sudowoodo!” 

But it was no use– behind Bonita, his partners collapsed to the ground, overcome by Roserade’s spores. With a flash of movement, Salma and Bonita also hit the floor, having been struck by Gallade.

As soon as they were down, Wally winced, running over to them. “I hope you didn’t overdo it, Sapphire,” he called, grasping for their wrists to feel their pulses.

She rolled her eyes. “They’re fine, Wally. It was a weak False Swipe.” Gallade grunted in agreement.

“Come on,” Ruby said insistently, nodding at Gardevoir before returning her. “We’ve got to go.”

Wally nodded, standing up, and he and Sapphire returned their own Pokemon. “Talonflame will be fastest,” he said. “Sapphire’s Gallade or mine could teleport us, or Gardevoir, but we’ve never been there before, and I’d rather not risk inaccuracy…” He shook his head, and Ruby blinked, realizing that he’d been staring. “Do you think we can all fit on Talonflame’s back?”

“Yes,” Sapphire said, striding towards the gym’s doors. “Now come on.”

When they walked back out into the sun, they nearly collided with a woman who was dressed like Ida and Salma had been. She blinked down at them, and then grinned. “Hello! Did one of you just have a gym battle? I’m a trainer at the Viridian Gym, you know. My name’s Arabella.” 

The three of them exchanged glances. Ruby shook his head slightly. In his opinion, it was one thing to knock someone out away from prying eyes, but quite another to do it in broad daylight. Sapphire barely nodded in response, and then the three of them turned to face the woman as one.

“Please, miss,” Ruby said, letting the anticipation in his chest seep into his expression. “If you work at the gym, you have to help– the gym leader’s gone, and the gym trainers are unconscious on the ground!”

“We can’t tell if they’re alive or not!” Sapphire cried, her eyes wet. 

Arabella’s eyes widened in horror, and she rushed into the gym. If she had stayed a minute longer, she might have noticed Wally biting his lip to keep from laughing.

“You laid it on a bit thick there,” he snickered, shoulders shaking with laughter.

Sapphire rolled her eyes. “I’ll send her an apology letter later. Come on!” 

The three of them mounted Talonflame, Wally first, then Ruby, and then Sapphire.

He hesitated briefly before they took off, hands hovering hesitantly in the air behind Wally. Sapphire grabbed his arms from behind and wrapped them around Wally’s waist. 

“You’re pathetic,” she muttered, grabbing his shoulders, and Ruby flushed. 

With a word from Wally, Talonflame shot up into the sky, screeching. “Don’t fall off!” Wally called back at them, his own cheeks tinged red, likely from the wind. 

Ruby normally loved to fly, but it was a bit difficult to enjoy it with Sapphire’s fingers digging into his shoulders. “That hurts!” he shouted at her, trying to be heard over the wind. 

“Well, budge up!” She yelled in his ear. 

“Where do you want me to budge up to?” He hollered back.

“Just climb into Wally’s lap!” Sapphire called, and he elbowed her harshly in the ribs, hoping the wind hadn’t carried her comment to Wally’s ears. It didn’t really matter, he supposed– it was just a joke, after all. It wasn’t weird to be this close to Wally; Sapphire was practically plastered to his back. There wasn’t a difference, he knew, but the twisting in his stomach seemed to somehow disagree.

This was not the time for weird feelings in one’s stomach, however, so Ruby had brushed it aside by the time they landed in Celadon. 

The three of them jumped to the ground in the town square, looking around themselves wildly.

“Where do you suppose the secret base is?” Sapphire asked, eyes scanning the various buildings. 

As if in response to her question, a large shock wave suddenly shook the ground, coming from their left. 

“I’d say wherever that explosion was at,” Wally replied, and the three of them ran towards it.

They found themselves at the base of a tall building with smoke pouring out one of the windows four floors up. 

They didn’t even need to look at each other before charging into the building, and it was likely because of their haste that they failed to notice the person above them, supported by a Butterfree, reaching for the walkie-talkie on zir belt. 

***

Red winced as Pikachu’s Thunderbolt hit a Flamethrower from a Rocket’s Magmar. The resulting explosion blew out a window, though the Magmar did fall to the ground, defeated.

“Well,” Green called, his Machamp fighting hand to hand with a Golduck. “If they somehow didn’t already know that we were coming, they definitely know now.”

Erika’s Victreebel slammed a Primeape into a wall with its vines. “Secrecy is not the goal here,” she noted. “The goal is to forcibly remove this scum from my city, and to ensure that they never return.”

Blue’s Blastoise shot a Hydro Pump towards a Crobat, and she pushed her hair away from her face. “Erika, I don’t think I’ve ever realized quite how much I like you.”

“Save the sweet talking for later,” Green gritted out as Red ducked around a corner, encountering two more Rockets in the next room.

“My bad,” Blue said simply, ducking to dodge a Confuse Ray. 

Suddenly, Red felt the walkie-talkie on his belt buzz, and judging by the other’s flinches, they felt it, too.

Red watched carefully as Pikachu weaved around the Muk and Houndoom he was fighting, but the others stopped to listen, done with their respective battles.

“Hey, guys…” Yellow’s voice came through, staticky. “Three kids just entered the building from the street.”

Red’s eyes snapped to Blue and Green before he swiveled back to his fight. He gestured for Pikachu to take out the Houndoom with an Iron Tail, and she landed back on his arm, panting.

“Two guys and a girl?” Blue asked, and Green sweared loudly when Yellow responded with an affirmative.

Red reached for another Pokemon so that Pikachu could rest, and Charizard met the opposing Rocket’s Muk with a wave of heat. 

“Who are these children?” Erika asked as the Muk was returned to its pokeball. The Rocket grunt sagged to the ground in defeat.

“Some kids from Hoenn,” Green replied. “They followed Red home, and they want us to teach them how to fight crime. Like they’re vigilantes, or something.”

Erika looked like she didn’t quite know what to make of this, but it didn’t matter, because in the next moment a veritable flood of Rocket grunts flooded the floor from the next floor up, streaming down the stairs and throwing out their Pokemon. 

Before Red could even move, they were surrounded, being sized up by an Electivire, a Vileplume, an Electrode, a Hitmonchamp, and a Pinsir, alongside more Golbats then Red particularly cared to count.

This time, Erika cursed, and this more than anything else surprised Red. 

They reengaged in the fight, Machamp, Victreebel, Blastoise, and Charizard all facing the oncoming hoard. As they began to battle, however, Red seemed to be the only one holding his ground, and after a moment he realized the others had been incapacitated by the supersonics of a dozen Golbats. 

The noise grated on Red’s ears as well, but it was no worse than standing in the middle of Saffron City on a busy day. All noise grated on Red’s ears. He was not disturbed.

Regardless, his Charizard could not hold his ground against five other powerful Pokemon, or even probably so many Golbats at once. 

He grit his teeth, watching Blue, Green, and Erika crouch on the ground with their ears covered. He prepared to direct Charizard to use an Inferno attack. Before he could, however, three more people burst into the room.

Red watched as Wally, Sapphire, and Ruby snapped into action. They worked like a machine, hands snapping to their waists to throw out a pokeball. With three flashes of light, their Pokemon appeared; Ruby’s Mightyena with a snarl showcasing its ferocious snapping teeth, Wally’s Gallade darting quickly from foot to foot as its blades shone in the artificial light, Sapphire’s Blaziken standing proudly, flecks of embers glowing in the fur of its powerful legs. 

They each directed their Pokemon with a fierce look, and Red still just watched as Blaziken knocked out the Vileplume with a swift Blaze Kick, Mightyena bit down on Pinsir with a Thunder Fang, and a fierce Psycho Cut from Gallade struck the Hitmonchamp.

He snapped into action when Sapphire yelled out at him. “Red, help us! We can’t take them alone!”

He directed Charizard to scatter the Golbats, concerned about the state of his friends, but the bulky Electivire intercepted the hit, standing up to challenge Charizard. The two creatures began to brawl, but Ruby thankfully saw what Red had been going for.

“Disrupt the Golbats!” The boy called. "My ears are bleeding!" His Mightyena dodging a Bug Bite from Pinsir. Ruby cursed. “This isn’t a good match-up.”

“I got it,” Sapphire said, directing her Blaziken towards the bug type. “You handle the supersonics.”

Ruby nodded. “Mightyena, use Snarl!” The attack hit every Pokemon with a blast of energy, and it was enough to scatter the Golbats and disrupt their attacks. “Howl, then use Thunder Fang!”

Charizard took a Thunder Punch to the stomach from Electivire, and Red made a slashing motion with his arm. Charizard responded in kind, releasing a Flamethrower into the electric-type’s face. 

Red was distantly aware of the fights still going on around him, but was more focused on his friends as they slowly stood, wincing at the lights and sound as they readjusted.

Suddenly, Wally yelled out. “Someone needs to handle that Electrode!” Sure enough, the Electrode was unattended still, Gallade grappling with Hitmonchamp and Blaziken fighting Pinsir as Mightyena targeted the Golbats.

Red’s eyes widened as the Pokemon began to rock back and forth threateningly, a telltale sign of an oncoming explosion. Red’s eyes frantically sweeped the room, but he came up blank with no strategy. 

Just as the Electrode began to flash with a garish yellow light, a new voice called across the room. “Double-Edge, Gravvy!” Red swiveled to the window he’d exploded earlier, and saw Yellow hovering just outside with a fierce expression on zir face. Before he could process what ze’d said, zir Golem darted forward from where it had been released. It tackled the Electrode in a brutal move, taking enough recoil damage to knock it back towards the window. 

The move had done what it had been intended to, though, and the Electrode rolled back, knocked out. 

Finally, Red saw his friends’ eyes begin to clear of confusion, but before they could direct their Pokemon to attack, the battle finished. 

Gallade struck a final blow at the Hitmonchamp, knocking it back into Electivire, who stumbled into Charizard’s finishing Inferno attack. Blaziken aimed a last kick at Pinsir, who crumpled to the ground in defeat, and Ruby’s Mightyena finally finished off the Golbats, dropping the last one to the floor with still-electric teeth. 

The room stilled, seeming to take in a collective breath. The Rocket grunts were gaping with wide eyes, and Red’s friends stood facing them. Then a figure descended from the final floor. 

“You can stop all this ruckus,” he said, standing over his unconscious defenders. He wore a crisp white suit, and his teal hair was coiffed. Red recognized him, unfortunately. “I am Archer.” His eyes glinted in amusement. “I do so wish we’d all met under better circumstances, but unfortunately…” He looked down at a gold watch that glinted on his wrist. “Ah, I do have a meeting to get to. You understand.”

He stepped back, and released a Koffing, whose mouth bulged with what Red knew to be a Smog attack. “You’ve taken our hideout, congratulations.” He winked at Red as he straightened his back. “You all know the drill by now, I’m sure. One of my men here has the key card to the basement, you take it and free all the Pokemon we’ve captured this past month, I unfortunately escape.” He leaned forward. “It’s all old hat by now, yes?”

When no one moved he nodded. “Excellent. I really do have somewhere I need to be.”

“Wait!” Wally shouted, the first to move again, but it was too late. The Koffing used its Smog attack, and by the time the room cleared, Archer had disappeared. 

“Where did he go?” Sapphire said, gaze scanning the room. “We should sweep the building.”

“And get into that basement he mentioned,” Ruby agreed. “But what I want to know is what he thinks he’s playing at with this ‘old hat’ thing.”

Wally nodded. “This was obviously a distraction, or a setup of some kind. Maybe a trick to throw us off our guard.”

Red watched, bewildered, as the three kids turned to each other and began to discuss. Their Pokemon were similarly casual, acting playful and familiar with each other.

“Everybody shut up!” Green shouted suddenly, and the kids all flinched before turning to face him with embarrassed faces. He took a deep steadying breath before looking at them again. “What the hell are you doing here.”

Nobody said anything for a long moment, and then Wally spoke. “Um–”

“No, hold on,” Green said, cutting him off. “Do you remember the agreement we had? You stay put, we hear you out? I left you with my gym trainers! How the hell did you give them the slip?”

If possible, the young trio took on even guiltier expressions, and Green covered his face with his hands.

There was another stretch of silence, and then Blue giggled. Red and Green turned to stare at her in shock. “Oh, come on,” she said, laughing. “This is too funny. You are Red are exactly like this, you know, and they did help us quite a lot.” 

Green gaped at her.

“Close your mouth,” Blue snickered. “Look, I get it, they messed up, but– it was a good fight. They did well.”

Yellow raised zir hand. “I helped!” 

Green pointed at zir, eyes closed again. “You are not helping your own case.”

Yellow’s expression became sheepish, and Blue rolled her eyes. “They can clearly hold their own, Green.”

The man turned to Red desperately, but he just awkwardly shrugged. Green sighed heavily. “You suck.” 

“Um,” Ruby said hesitantly, placing his hand on the back of his neck. “If it’s any consolation at all– Arabella was still conscious when we left.”

Green’s eyes were wide in horror, and Blue began to laugh loudly. Red walked over to Ruby and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy looked up at him, and Red looked blankly back at him. 

Yellow was blinking in shock. “What did you do to them?”

Sapphire rolled her eyes. “They’ll be fine, relax.”

Green crouched, putting his head in his hands. “Okay,” he muttered. “Okay. I am flying back to Viridian to see if any of my gym trainers need medical attention.”

He stood and glared at Red. “You are going to properly reprimand these kids for their reckless actions, and you–” He pointed at Blue– “are going to sweep the building with Erika, and find the keycard to the basement. When you’re done, all of you will go to Viridian, and we will have a nice conversation about what just happened. In the meantime, I’m going to pretend that I don’t know anybody who’s younger than me, and that my husband is perfectly sane.”

Red walked over to kiss him reassuringly on the cheek, but Green pushed him away and continued to glare.

“Why don’t you go make yourself some tea,” Blue giggled.

“Yes,” Green sighed, “I am going to do that.” And he released Pidgeot and took off for Viridian.

“Okay, Erika,” Blue said, walking over to the gym leader. “Let’s pat down some pant pockets.” She promptly crouched over the nearest Rocket and began to do just that.

Red turned to Yellow, and dragged zir over to stand with the other kids. He looked sternly down at them with his arms crossed, and then typed something into his Pokegear for them to read.

‘I don’t want anymore kids to live the life I did.’

The four of them looked blankly up at him, and he sighed before typing something else.

‘Let’s go out for dinner. I will talk.’ He pointed threateningly at them. ‘You will listen.’


	10. Exposition and Angst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title says. Some fluff at the end. Some never-before-seen characters at the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THAT IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS!! Also I'm sorry if some of my chapters or dialogue feel a bit repetitive. I've got a lot of threads to follow here, plot-wise, and I'm trying to keep it straight for me and you. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Gold sat on the edge of the roof, his billiards cue in his fists as he looked out over Ecruteak City. He tapped his fingers to an imaginary tune, and listened to the footsteps approaching behind him. 

“Why are you here?” 

He turned and grinned up at Kris. “Aren’t you just thrilled to see me, though?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ecstatic.”

“Brilliant. How’s Meganium?”

She eyed him warily, but answered him. “He’s fine. His petals are blooming nicely.”

“That’s good to hear. And…” He sighed, swinging his feet back and forth over the building’s edge. “How are you?”

There was silence, and then a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see her dark eyes as she sat next to him. “I’m fine. Eusine is a bit much sometimes, but he does know a lot about Suicune. My research is going well. And Morty knows everything about Ho-oh.”

“Hm. And through extension, the legendary beasts.”

There was another pause. “Are you okay, Gold?”

He took a moment to consider this. “I’m… I’m surviving.”

Neither of them moved to catch the other’s gaze, and that was okay.

“You want to see if we can catch DJ Mary’s special tonight?”

He grinned. “Ah, probably shouldn’t.”

This statement was met with the longest silence yet, and he knew that Kris was staring now.

“Who are you, and what have you done with Gold?”

“Ha.”

Gold sighed and leaned back against the roof, folding his arms over his cue. “The stars are really pretty tonight, Kris.”

She looked at him with a strange expression, as though tasting something sour. Her eyes scanned his face, and he decided to give her what she was looking for. 

“His eyes are like the stars.”

After a moment, she spoke. “Oh my god. First of all, that was the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Second, thank fucking Arceus, you finally got your head out of your ass.”

“Hey!” He turned to glare at her. “I resent that.”

“Please. You’re denser than a dying star. And you haven’t found him?”

“No.”

“Are you giving up?”

“ _No._ ”

“When did you realize?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not soon enough, then.”

He glared at her, but said nothing else. 

“So…” She leaned back on her hands. “D’ya wanna see Parasee? I’ve been keeping her shell polished. And she misses you. All my team does.”

Gold smirked, and sat up slowly. “Yeah. My team misses you too.”

She rolled her eyes, and then stood. “Obviously.”

“Thanks, Kris.”

“Mm. Let’s go in. It’s cold.”

They turned to go back inside.

***

When N arrived in Blackthorn City, it was with Zoroark at his back, the Pokemon’s hot breath coming out in puffs of condensation. The sun felt like a shock against his skin, and he reached over to sink his fingers into Zoroark’s dark red fur. 

“Thank you, my friend.”

Zoroark eyed him, and then snorted before yawning in his face.

“Well, you may not want thanks, but you do deserve it.”

That earned him another derisive look.

“Of course not, but given the chance I’ll thank you for your devotion.”

Zoroark breathed hot air onto his hand.

“If you insist.”

He took out his pokeball and returned Zoroark, and then turned to see someone watching him. The man wore cargo pants and a dark shirt, and had six pokeballs hung at his waist. He had a shock of dark red hair that fell to just below his shoulders, and his eyes were sharp and gray. 

He was watching from a distance, leaning against the rocky cliffs that funnelled towards Blackthorn City proper. N regarded the other man carefully, and after a moment, nodded in acknowledgment. The other had no reaction to this, except to narrow his eyes. He had no Pokemon out, and so N found it difficult to read him, and simply continued on his way.

The other boy might’ve looked familiar to N, but he had never been good with faces. He was at least not somebody important to him, and so it didn’t really matter who he might’ve been. 

Archeops twitched in her pokeball, but he hesitated to bring her out and draw more attention. He settled for rubbing a thumb over her pokeball, a silent reassurance. 

He was not looking, and therefore did not see the stranger’s eyes follow him until he was lost in the rocky cliffs. 

***

Red leaned back in his chair, looking at the four kids in front of him. Yellow was fidgeting in the silence, and he knew ze would not be able to stand it much longer. Sure enough, ze extended zir hand to Sapphire after a moment’s pause. 

“Hi. That was some nice fighting. I’m Yellow, pronouns are ze and zir.”

Sapphire took zir hand, grinning. “Thanks, and it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sapphire, she and her, and these guys are Wally and Ruby. Both he and him.”

Ze’s face brightened, and Red sighed loudly, drawing their guilty faces towards him.

“So, um, before we begin,” Yellow said, “I just want to get some things straight.”

Ruby nodded. “Sure. We met Red in Hoenn, where he confronted one of the two criminal organizations that the three of us have been resisting. We want him to teach us how to fight crime, and we want to help him fight Team Rocket here, and we definitely want to help him fight Team Magma and Aqua, which are our bunch of bad guys.”

Yellow laughed. “Brilliant. I had a few scuffles with the Rockets, and got caught up with those three. I’m helping them fight the Rockets, and for some reason, they don’t want us to.”

Ze fixed Red with a heavy gaze. “So, Red, with introductions out of the way, why don’t you tell us why. We can be reasonable.” Ze smiled, a fake and overly-sweet thing. 

He rolled his eyes, and then began to move his hands. _I will sign. Easier. You translate._

Yellow nodded. “He said that I can read sign language, so I’ll translate.”

The kids all nodded. Sapphire leaned back in her chair. “We’re all ears, Red.”

He decided to ignore the fact that he was, in fact, mute, and therefore had no purpose with their ears, and instead began to sign. 

_Blue, Green, and I fought the Rockets. Almost ten years ago now._ Yellow began to talk as ze read his words, zir voice warm and steady. Red didn’t think that Yellow belonged on the frontlines, but he did like zir a lot. Ze was feisty, and smart, and ze loved Pokemon. Yellow was smart and sure. Ze was still a child, however, and had no business in a war. 

He took in a steadying breath. _Five years after that, the Rockets started to reorganize. Two kids in Johto took them down at age 14. They were Gold and Silver. I’m sure you have heard of them, like you have heard of us._

The kids nodded.

_I had always suspected they weren’t gone. This was proof. Blue and Green were with me. We began to resist them. Gold and Silver had taken their base in Mahogany Town, and foiled their plans at the Goldenrod Radio Tower. This does not mean they were defeated, as the public seems to think._

_We realized we had been negligent. We had let more kids fight our battles. Silver and Gold are good people. They deserve a normal life. But because they were good people, and because they could not stand by, they don’t get that._

He shifted his fingers fumbling. This would be the hardest part. _You probably know that I ran away… ten years ago, I ran to Mount Silver. Hid for five years. Gold found me, and I knew he would tell Green. I did not want to go home. I fled, went traveling. Green finally did find me on Mount Coronet, in Sinnoh. I went home._

The kids were watching him with wide eyes, scarily in sync as always. Even Yellow was shocked; Red never talked about his self-imposed exile.

_When I got back, I learned about the Rockets, and was so angry with myself. I was a coward. Blue and Green and I have been fighting them ever since. We are committed. And… we will make sure that no more kids have to fight these fights._

His fists clenched on instinct, but he flexed his fingers and kept going.

_We were eleven. And you four have all fought the Rockets. But you don’t know what it’s really like, in the thick of it. You have not gotten in that deep yet. But I remember. We always will. And so will Gold and Silver, because we could not keep them safe._

He focused his garnet eyes on the kids, silently begging them to understand. But though their faces were lined with pity, though they looked small and scared– Wally’s shoulders were stiff with resolve. Ruby sat straight-backed. Sapphire’s eyes flashed in defiance. And Yellow’s face was set in a way he knew too well.

And so he brought his hands up again. For these kids, he would speak of what he’d swore he never would. 

_Ten years ago, Pokemon were not partners. They were not friends._ Pikachu sat on his head, as always, and her weight comforted him. _They were tools. Most did not play with their Pokemon, did not do right by them. And the Rockets were the worst of all. They kidnapped and beat Pokemon, used them to battle kids and teens who were traveling on their journeys. They robbed and bullied and abused. And… no one was doing anything. They bullied kids into joining, like a gang. Stole because it suited them. When I reached Celadon City, I met Giovanni for the first time._

His eyes went dark with the weight of his memories, and Wally leaned back into Ruby at the sight. Sapphire gripped Ruby’s hand tightly, but the boy did not complain at the presence of his friends. 

_The Game Corner in Celadon was corrupt. Full of rich people trying to get richer off of the kids who came by on their journeys. And I saw their workers whipping two Pokemon. I was… so angry. I played against the house. Technically I counted cards, but the odds were stacked against players to start with. I sweeped them through, and the owner was furious. But I was still angry._

_I found a hidden door in the back wall, and thought it led to storage. I went down, hoping to get evidence of their cheating or steal some of their hoards of wealth and Pokemon._ He shook his head as though trying to clear it. _It was not storage. It was a Team Rocket hideout. So I fought them, every last Rocket who was there, in the back room was Giovanni. He… he sat there with his Persian, both of them staring down at me._

_We fought, and he went easy on me. Was scoping me out, trying to see what I could do. I beat him, but of course he hadn’t been fighting at full power. He was not worried. He left._

Red breathed in carefully through his nose. This was getting harder. _In… in Lavender Town, the old Pokemon Tower. A Pokemon resting site. It is gone now, and a radio tower stands in its place. If it were up to me, the radio tower never would have been built. It is disrespectful. But I was on a mountain, and they did it anyway. The Pokemon Tower was haunted when I travelled through. The townspeople were scared. They would not go to pay respects. So I went up._

_The haunting spirit was a ghost. I could see it with the Silph Scope, which was a device made by Silph Co. I had taken it from the Rockets in Celadon. The ghost was a Marowak who had not passed on, because she was fearful for her baby Cubone’s life. Mr. Fuji has a daycare in Lavender Town, and he took care of Cubone. But the Marowak could not leave the Tower. It was where her remains were. She did not know that her child was safe. Mr. Fuji brought the Cubone to see her, and Marowak passed on. But Marowak had been killed by Team Rocket. She had been mutilated while protecting Cubone, and… she hadn’t known if it had lived._

Wally was now holding Ruby’s hand, who was gripping it right back. Yellow’s eyes were wet, but zir voice stayed steady. Red admired zir. 

_Then I got to Saffron City. Silph Co. had been taken over by the Rockets, and… no one was doing anything. There were scientists and workers held inside, Pokemon that were suffering at Team Rocket’s hands. Silph Co. had laboratories, and the Rockets wanted to use them. Nobody stopped them._

_Before I went into the building, Blue and Green caught me. Green and I had known each other for years. We were rivals on our journey, and our relationship had been strained. But we were still friends, always, and Green did not want me walking into Silph alone. We had each met Blue on our journeys. She had been kidnapped by Team Rocket as a kid, and made to work for them, but she had recently escaped. She wanted revenge. So she helped us, too. The three of us fought our way through the building, just three eleven year olds against a crime syndicate. We were separated._

He paused. _Blue and Green know what happens next, but… they were not there. I alone can tell you just how bad it was, and so… I will. At the top of the building, I found Giovanni. His Persian was seated at his side. Giovanni was a master manipulator. He played… mind games. He was better at it than anyone I have met. And after he had me so angry I could hardly think, after he had me wondering whether I was even doing the right thing, he sent out his first Pokemon. And we fought._

Red was not truly seeing anything now; his eyes were glazed over with memories. _It was not a good battle. I have never… never felt so helpless. So powerless. He was a ground-type user, and his Pokemon were all very strong. The building shook with their attacks, and I remember thinking that he was going to bring the whole skyscraper down on us. I remember each of my Pokemon falling to the ground, bloody or in pain. Pokemon… Pokemon are built to fight. Most of them enjoy it. But that was the only battle I have fought in which there was intent to kill me, and the forces trying to do it had the skill necessary. Pokemon are not meant to fight that way. But my Pokemon did it, for me, and I hated myself because of it._

_Giovanni won. His Rhydon attacked me, and I was thrown from the top floor of the building. My body… hit the glass windows. It cut into me, and the wind ripped at my skin. I fell from the top of Silph Co, and I hit the street. Woke up in hospital. No one could tell me anything except to keep my nose out of things in the future. Silph Co. had become structurally unstable in the fight, and heavily damaged. Blue and Green had gotten the people and Pokemon out, but they had both moved along on their journeys by the time I woke, and… everyone told me I had only made things worse._

He shook his head. _Eventually, I faced Giovanni again at his Gym. I remember that my knees went out when I saw his face, and he laughed. We fought, and… this time, I was trying to kill him. And my Pokemon fought for me like they always have, and I hated myself again. I won. He told me he would disband Team Rocket, and I almost spit in his face._

_After I beat the Pokemon League, I felt untethered. I was still only eleven, and everyone wanted bigger and better things from me. I hadn’t seen my mother in months, things were still tense between Green and I, and Blue and I were not yet friends. Professor Oak was proud of me, but they all were, and that wasn’t what I wanted. It made my skin itch. It made me feel sick._

_And I kept having nightmares, about the Game Corner and the Pokemon Tower and Silph Co. I will never forget his Persian’s eyes, or the tilt of his head as he would make you forget all of your conviction. I’ll never forget the wind or the glass, or the shaking of the building, or the void of hatred I felt. I still felt it._

_And the people that had done nothing to fight Team Rocket, who had said I was causing trouble and getting in the way; they went on and on about how they’d always known I was special, and about how proud they were. They hadn’t been proud when I’d hit the street in Saffron. They knew nothing about me._

_I wanted out, and I wanted away. I ran. I sat on the top of a glacial mountain for five years, and when I came back… two more kids had suffered because of my mistakes._

Yellow’s voice was sounding croaky now, and Sapphire’s face was pale. Wally was staring directly at him, and Ruby was watching the tabletop.

 _I fight so that you won’t have to,_ he finished somewhat lamely, and he hoped he’d made his point all the same.

The five of them sat there in silence, for a long moment, and when Ruby finally looked up, his eyes were red and watery.

“That is terrible,” he said, and his voice was wrecked. “N- _No one_ deserves that. But if we fight, we’ll do it together.” Sapphire and Wally began to straighten at his words, and Yellow rubbed at zir eyes. “And it’s not your choice to make for us. We’re younger than you are, but– it’s our fight, too. And we won’t leave you alone to fight it. We’re going to help you because someone needs to. We’re gonna help because we have the skills, and because it affects our lives– and because you shouldn’t have to fight alone. So.” He took in a shaky breath. “We’re fighting with you, and everything you have suffered will only make us more determined. These people– these people need to be stopped. They’ve hurt so many people and Pokemon, and they’ve hurt _you._ You’re our friend.” Ruby’s deep red eyes locked with Red’s own. “And some friends try to fight the bad guys all on their own, and others make sure they don’t have to.”

Red looked into his face, reaching desperately to make them _understand._ But he only saw resolve, so much more whole than Red’s own shattered pieces. He looked at Ruby’s face, and he knew he had failed.

For the first time in what was probably ten years, he began to cry. The tears streamed down his face, and his expression crumpled, and he ran out of the restaurant with Pikachu at his heels. 

***

When Green found him, it was dark. He was sitting at the back of a small restaurant at the edge of Celadon, a nearly empty bottle of whiskey and a full plate of onigiri in front of him. Green took one look at his face before draining the rest of his bottle, and then he slouched next to Red and put his head on his shoulder.

“So, let me guess. You talked about your nightmares, and fighting him the first time. And it moved them, but not enough.”

Red’s chest felt congested because of the tears. He made a raw noise in the back of his throat, and buried his head in his arms. Green immediately turned to him.

“Oh, honey, don’t try to speak.” He cupped Red’s face in his hands and traced his tear tracks with his thumbs. “Your throat is probably wrecked.” 

Green held him for a moment, and then sighed. “Look at me, Red.” He raised his head slowly, and fixed his eyes on Green’s face. The other man’s expression was soft and earnest, and it shattered Red all over again. “It’s _okay._ They know how bad it can be, because you told them, and they’ve made their decision. Neither of us like it, but it is their choice, and you know that if we can’t stop them then the best way to help them is to train them.”

Red leaned against Green’s chest, and still said nothing.

“They’re strong. If they weren’t, then I wouldn’t be helping them at all, but I promise you that they’ll make it out of this fine. I promise you.”

Red leaned back and signed with aching fingers. _I wish they weren’t so good._

Green sighed. “I swear it’s your fault. You’re like a magnet. You draw in other pure-hearted people. It sickens me. Blue and I need to even it out, I think.”

They said nothing for a while longer, Red leaning against Green’s chest and the other man running his long fingers through Red’s coarse hair. 

_Do you think we can help them?_ Red eventually asked.

Green nodded without hesitation. “And I think they can help us. Look, you know what I think about this, but at this point it’s really not up to us. And Blue never really cared, I don’t think. She got into it early, too.”

Red stared searchingly into his warm eyes, and found nothing to doubt. He never found things to doubt in Green. Green was steadfast, and constant. 

Red turned back to face his plate of onigiri.

_Do you think we can get a box for this?_

Green grinned. “I don’t really think we’ll need one.”

Red narrowed his eyes. _This is my food._

“Well, you aren’t eating it.”

_If you touch my onigiri it will be the last thing you ever do._

Green snorted. “I’m sure.”

He glared. 

“I’ll race you back to Viridian. Winner eats the onigiri.”

Red twisted his head to catch the eye of a waiter, and then turned back to Green with a vicious look in his eye. 

“I guess that’s you throwing down the gauntlet. You always were a competitive drunk.”

Green slipped out of his lover’s reach just before Red murdered him. He figured they should avoid causing a scene, at least until they were out of Celadon. Erika wouldn’t like it, but the people of Viridian probably wouldn’t look twice if they saw Red with Green’s body and a shovel.

Causing scenes was always what they did, he reflected briefly, but then Red was stalking towards him with his takeout, and Green figured he ought to stop thinking and run.


	11. Filler Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are sorted out a bit. We prepare for the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kinda is a filler chapter, but I'm working on an action heavy one next. Hopefully this is satisfying until then!
> 
> Enjoy!

The next day, everything was laid out on the table. Blue was very impressed that they had managed to knock out four Viridian Ace Trainers. Sapphire had grinned when she’d said so, and Green had put his head in his hands. They woke up just fine, and Bonita remained suspicious of her and Ruby and Wally, but Ida, Elan, and Salma were just sheepish and impressed. 

Red had rolled his eyes at all of this, and Sapphire stuck her tongue out at him. It had been awkward with him, at first, but Ruby had walked right up to him. 

“Are we good?” 

Red had nodded, and that was that. It seemed that they’d reached a grudging understanding. It was clear that he still wasn’t wholly convinced of taking them under his wing, but that was okay. She exchanged several subtle glances with Wally throughout the course of the morning– they did still have a plan, after all, and it would be fun to execute. 

“We’ll start training you soon enough,” Blue said. “We’ve got a few things to straighten out first.” 

“Like what?” Wally asked, bright eyed. 

“Well, we need to record everything we managed to learn from our escapade yesterday, and help Erika lie to the police about why they weren’t informed of the Rocket hideout. Then we’ll check to see that all the Pokemon we freed have been returned to their proper homes. We also need to make sure Green’s trainers are okay, which means a quick visit to the hospital.”

Wally had looked guilty at this, but Sapphire just scoffed. “We knew what we were doing. They’re fine.”

Blue gave her a lopsided grin. “I don’t doubt.”

“And,” Sapphire continued doggedly, looking Blue in the eyes, “you also need to convince Red and Green to help train us. That’s something else you need to ‘straighten out,’ right?”

The older woman had sighed at this. “Well, Red more than Green, at this point. Red always was the stubborn one, and your little performance yesterday has gone a long way in convincing Green of your competence. Red, meanwhile, never had any doubt about that, but he carries enough guilt for the whole wide world.”

Sapphire nodded. “Okay, then.”

“But we’ll get him to crack,” Blue had said, winking. “He may be stubborn, but he’s got nothing on me.”

The two of them had shared shark-like grins at this, and Wally had visibly shuddered next to them, watching their conversation progress.

So Blue and Green went off to Celadon City again, wrapping up the mess they had left behind. The Viridian Gym was open, but Green claimed it wouldn’t matter if he was there or not. 

(“They’ll never get past my trainers,” he’d said, and Salma had raised her eyebrows.

“Thanks, boss.”

“Yes, well, I’m paying you all, so any challengers had better not get past you.”

“See, that’s more like it.”)

Yellow had also left that morning, citing a need to keep traveling. 

(“I want to be involved, of course I do. I want to know what’s going on, and I want to be able to help. But the whole organized front… that’s better left to these three, I think. I’m satisfied just traveling, and of course if I can help, I will.”

Sapphire had watched zir carefully wrap zir fishing wire around the reel of zir rod, and she’d nodded.

“I see that.”)

All of this, of course, meant that it was just her, Wally, Ruby, and Red left behind in Viridian. 

Early that afternoon, the three of them had approached Red. 

Sapphire cleared her throat. “So, Red.”

He raised an eyebrow. 

“We’ve been… in casual contact with Touya.” He straightened, and she continued, emboldened. “Ruby has his number, and I reached out to my dad to get the word out. Wattson and Wallace now know, too, and because Wallace knows, so does Steven. So, essentially… if N is in Hoenn, they’ll find him. Touya should move on to another region. We were going to catch him up, and we wanted to ask if you wanted to listen in.”

Red smiled and nodded, before reaching out to grab a scrap of paper and a pen. With messy movements, he scrawled something out: ‘Blue and Green will want to be here.’

Wally nodded. “That’s fine. And you’ll keep Yellow informed?”

Red nodded, but his smile seemed more strained. She and Wally had exchanged another covert glance, and she’d winked at Ruby’s furrowed brow. 

‘The plan,’ she’d mouthed behind Red’s back, and Ruby’s concerned face turned to one of mischievous anticipation. 

That afternoon, the six of them gathered around a table in Red and Green’s surprisingly cozy home, and Ruby called Touya on his PokeNav, which he placed in the middle of the table.

“Hello?” Touya’s voice resonated, sounding tinny.

“Hey, Touya!” Wally chirped. “How are you?” 

“I’m fine, Wally. And you all? Who’s listening in?”

“We’re fine,” Sapphire said. “And, um, we’ve got some new people here. There’s me and Wally and Ruby, and Red, and two of Red’s friends.”

“Are we not _your_ friends too?” Blue asked, leaning her elbows on the table.

Green rolled his eyes. “Hey– Touya, was it? I’m Green, the lovely lady you just heard is Blue.”

“Great to meet you both. I was going to make a joke about your names, but then I don’t really have room to talk.”

Ruby tilted his head. “Your name’s not weird, Touya. Neither is Wally’s, actually.”

Green sighed heavily. “The colors are a Pallet Town thing, an old tradition. The rest of you don’t have an excuse.”

“Sapphire is a perfectly normal name, excuse you all!”

“It’s not as normal when your best friend is named Ruby.”

“Okay–”

They were cut off by what sounded like laughter on Touya’s end. “Sorry– sorry!” He managed. “That’s– do you know, I think I’ve missed you.”

Ruby rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, you still have a passably normal name, and therefore can’t be a part of our club.”

“Ah– Touya’s not my real name.”

“You bastard! What’s your name?”

“I will never say. Oh, god, I hope you never meet my sister.”

Sapphire sat back. “You know, I think a vacation to Unova would just be lovely.”

“We just got to Kanto!” Wally protested.

“Well, one thing at a time,” she conceded. 

Touya chuckled. “So, what’s up? I assume you didn’t just call for a social hour, though I’m pleased to oblige.”

Ruby grinned. “Nah, we’ve got news. Sapph?”

“Sure.” She straightened. “So, my dad may be nutty, but he’s still vaguely competent, and he’s got connections among Hoenn’s gym leaders.”

“I think we need a special name for that,” Wally said abruptly. “We need a name for a set of gym leaders. Like ‘pantheon.’ The Hoenn pantheon.”

Ruby frowned. “Pantheon refers to mythology. Or– to gods and goddesses. Celestial beings. Deities.”

Sapphire shivered. “Ugh. Imagine if Winona was a celestial being.”

“Or my dad,” Ruby said darkly, and the room paused. He shook his head. “Nevermind. We’re getting off track.”

Green coughed into his hand. “You know it’s just called the Hoenn Gym League, right?”

“ _So,_ ” Sapphire said forcefully. “We got the word out to the gym leaders in Hoenn. Wattson in particular had connections outside of the League, and of course Steven knows now, because of Wallace. So what we’re saying is, if N’s in Hoenn, they’ll find him. You can move on to another region, Touya.”

There was a silence, and then a watery sigh came through Ruby’s PokeNav. “Arceus. You kids– I genuinely can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what I was expecting, when you offered your help, but– well, it wasn’t this.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ruby said firmly. “We’re happy to help.”

Blue smirked. “You kids sure are something.” 

Sapphire narrowed her eyes, but Wally placed a hand on her shoulder to stop the incoming confrontation.

“So, where are you going next, Touya?”

He sighed. “Well, I’ve searched Unova, and I went to Kalos and Sinnoh before Hoenn. So I guess Johto is next.”

Green nodded. “We– me and Red, as Indigo League members–”

“–Kanto pantheon,” Wally muttered, and Ruby whacked him–

“–have an abundance of connections in Johto. We can help you spread the word there.”

“Thank you. Honestly, thank you so much. You don’t even know me.”

“Well, no, but these kids want to help you, and–” He cut himself off, sighing. “And they’ve managed to secure themselves a place fighting our battles, so I figure we better help fight theirs.”

Red’s gaze darkened at this, but he said nothing.

“In other words,” Blue teased, “He’s gone soft.”

Green glared something awful, but Red nodded sagely, and Touya laughed. “Well, I’m grateful for it,” he said. “And I hope that I can meet with you all soon. You said you were in Kanto, yes? If I don’t have any luck in Johto, that’s where I’ll go next. Maybe we can meet up.”

“Definitely,” Wally said, and Red signed something to Green.

“Red says he’d love to see you again,” the other man translated. 

“Excellent! We’ll have to have a rematch, in a secluded area, so I can bring out my last teammate.”

“Yes,” Sapphire said, “who _is_ your last Pokemon?” 

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Touya said cheekily, and she scowled.

Ruby hid a laugh by coughing into his fist. 

“Anyway,” Touya said. “I have to go now, if I’m planning on being in Johto by tomorrow. Interregional calls require a connection in a Center, but I don’t think I’ll get to another until I arrive in Johto, so we won’t be able to call again until tomorrow evening.” 

“You should plan on heading to Olivine City,” Blue said thoughtfully. “It’s the closest cosmopolitan area to Hoenn in Johto. Where are you right now?” 

“Just west of Mauville City.”

“Hm. Do you have a flying type, and do you know where Sootopolis City is?”

“Yes, and yes.” 

“Brilliant. That’s where you’ll want to catch a flight to Olivine from, so maybe have your flying partner take you there.”

“Okay. I can do that. Thank you so much, all of you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Sapphire said, leaning back. “Seriously, don’t.”

Touya laughed. “Alright. But you’re just delaying the inevitable. Eventually, Sapphire, you and I will be having emotionally charged words.”

“Why would you _say_ that to me?”

He was still laughing when he hung up, and the six of them sat in Red and Green’s kitchen in silence.

Blue roused herself first. “Ruby, can you get us a description of this guy Touya’s looking for?”

He nodded. “Yeah, sure. His name’s N, by the way. But I’ll send the details.”

“Excellent. In the meantime… we should probably discuss the Archer problem.”

Red scowled, and Green groaned. “Fine, but I’m doing this over a whiskey.”

Blue glared at him. “We have kids here.”

“Yeah. I’m doing this over a whiskey.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t protest further as he stood and opened his fridge. 

Red slouched down in his chair with his arms crossed.

“So, Archer was very suspicious,” Wally ventured, but he was cut off by Sapphire standing up suddenly.

“Wait,” she said heavily, hauling Wally upwards by his arm. “Red, you still have a problem with us being involved, and it’s obvious. I know you’re worried about us being able to take care of ourselves, and we appreciate it, but I swear to you that we can look after ourselves. So Wally and I, as accomplished trainers that have beat the Hoenn champion, are going to battle each other six-on-six, and you will watch. When we are done, you will tell us with complete honesty whether you think we could hold our own against the Rockets, and if you say yes, then that will be that. Deal?”

Red’s fingers began to move in some sort of protest, his expression vaguely guilty, but Green cut him off.

“What if he doesn’t think you can hold your own?”

Sapphire’s expression set. “Then we will go back to Hoenn and train. And we won’t return until we’re strong enough to beat Steven Stone in a battle with no League regulations. No-holds-barred.”

The room was silent, Wally pulling away from her grip and standing firmly beside her. Red examined them with a shuttered expression, his garnet eyes hard and calculating.

Finally, his fingers moved. 

“He says that he already knows that you can hold your own,” Blue translated.

Sapphire pushed out a frustrated breath. “Well, you aren’t acting it, and I don’t know how else to convince you.”

Red waved her comment away, and continued signing.

“He says that he’s concerned regardless,” Blue said, “but he knows that he’s being a bit irrational. He says that it _is_ fine if you help us fight, and he will train you. He’s just worried. And he wants to watch you battle anyway.”

Sapphire blinked, but then fell back into her chair with a grin. “Excellent.”

Wally clapped his hands together. “This will be fun. We’ve been planning this since we met you, Red, as a way to convince you to help us fight. And I haven’t had the chance to knock Sapphire’s ego down in a while.”

She scoffed, but Ruby smirked, and turned to the adults.

“Would you three like to place any bets on the victor?”

Green cackled, and Blue’s eyes lit up. Sapphire sniffed and put her nose in the air, and Wally put his face in his hands.

“I don’t want to know,” he mumbled. “I don’t want to know who you bet on.”

Ruby grinned. “Left hand accepting bets on Sapphire, right hand accepting bets on Wally.”

Blue and Green roved their eyes over the both of them, and Sapphire stood proudly, but Wally still didn’t look up. After a moment, they each slapped a 500 yen coin into Ruby’s left hand. Sapphire grinned her shark-like smile.

Red observed the proceedings silently, hunched over the back of his chair, his red irises glowing. After a moment, he reached over, and four 500 yen coins landed in Ruby’s right palm. Blue and Green both whirled to face him in shock, and Sapphire pouted, but Ruby’s face remained still and amused.

Red shrugged and stood before gesturing to the back door, and proceeded to lead them out to the garden.

“Come on,” Sapphire said, dragging Wally with them. “You can look up; the adults are done placing money on our battling prowess.” He groaned in response, but followed obediently.


End file.
